For the Love of Go
by TsumetaiYuuki
Summary: Two years after Shindou Hikaru disappeared from the world's view for reasons unknown to most, he expected a visit from a dear friend.  What he did not expect was the appearance of a long lost friend, and subsequently being dragged back into the world he ran away from.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hikaru no Go in any shape or form, besides the plotline of my fanfic, of course.**

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Fujiwara no Sai had lived for a very long time. At least, compared to the life span of most normal humans. Never mind the fact that the majority of those 1000 years had been spent inhabiting a go board. The point is, that Fujiwara no Sai had lived for a great many years. And though he was extremely sad when he had to leave his favorite game before achieving his goal, the Hand of God, and his beloved companion, Shindou Hikaru, Sai did not feel as regretful as he had when he first died all that while ago.

Though it seemed that someone had a different idea. Or this was all a sardonic twist from Fate. Either way, when Fujiwara no Sai woke up to the sound of a hospital room and discovered that two years had passed since the time he disappeared, despite the fact that it had only been two minutes for him, he was not very amused.

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Naturally, the first thing that the man did after he was discharged from the hospital (after lots of tedious paperwork about his identity, which left Sai quite frustrated, after the nurse had seen a two year long coma patient trying to leave his room, whom shouldn't have been able to walk at all; then again, Sai was a ghost from the Heian era, and there was no use trying to use reason and logic on such things) was try and find Hikaru.

It took the violet haired man (now clothed in more recent clothing, and hair tied up in a loose ponytail) hours to find Hikaru's home. Upon knocking politely at the door, and introducing himself as Hikaru's friend, he was surprised to see the person who answered the door, Hikaru's mother, burst into tears. Between gasps, he was told that Shindou Hikaru had moved out two years ago, and disappeared from both the go world and the contact of his family and friends.

Shocked, Sai asked what had prompted this abrupt departure, though the man had a suspicion that he dreaded to even consider. Hikaru's mother had told him that she had no idea, just that her son had left with a goodbye before a supposed go match nearly two years ago, but never made it to the event. Sniffling, Shindou-san had informed Sai to please let her know should he happen to come across Hikaru. After a pause, she also told him that Touya Akira had also been searching for the lost go pro, and it might be a good idea to start with the teen.

Apologizing profusely for dredging up bad memories, Sai watched as Shindou-san shook her head and smiled softly at him, thanking him for his visit. Wandering around the nearby streets, Sai blinked curiously as he walked into a familiar go salon. Noticing a boy with neatly cut straight-ish hair, who was no longer a boy, Sai remembered why.

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Shindou Hikaru sighed as he lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He was bored, like the majority of the time that he spent in his large, spacious house in the country. On the bright side, Akira (after three years of acquaintance and a weird form of friendship, the go players had offhandedly agreed to call each other by their first names, instead of their surnames) was going to be visiting him today, and an exciting night filled with go was bound to occur.

After one more silent moment in the warmth of his blankets, Hikaru stood up. Ignoring the slight numbness, the teen dragged himself to the bathroom, and performed morning routines quickly before heading to his kitchen. Preparing a traditional Japanese lunch (Akira sure was picky about what he ate), Hikaru listened to the doorbell sound just as he finished setting the last dish on the table. Punctual as always.

Opening the door, Shindou Hikaru received one of the biggest surprises of his life. He had expected a relatively quiet afternoon with his friend/rival. He had expected that Akira would fret over his health, and bug him about staying in the countryside all alone, with no one but Touya knowing of his location. What he didn't expect was a ghost that disappeared years before, standing on his porch alive, whole, and definitely not a ghost anymore.

Hikaru fainted.

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When he came to, Akira was hovering worriedly in his line of sight.

Hikaru sighed. "That was an interesting dream."

"Are you all right, Hikaru?"

The blond-banged brunet nodded. "Just had an odd dream. Want to play go?"

If Akira wasn't so reserved, he would have rolled his eyes. "You just fainted. I don't believe it is a good idea for you to just start sitting up and playing."

"Yeah, and go takes _so_ much of my energy, doesn't it?"

"Fujiwara-san went to go get you a towel, and some water. Though he's been gone for quite awhile, for having just retrieving water," Akira changed the subject.

"Sai?" Hikaru asked, suddenly finding it hard to catch his breath.

"Yes. The man with the long purple hair. He said that he was a friend of yours. Not very nice of you to come and hide in the country without even informing him. Is he the renown Sai that the go world Is looking for?"

"You're taking this very calmly," Hikaru murmured.

"I've had awhile to take everything in."

"Huh. How long was I out?"

"Three days."

"Oh. Wait...three days?"

"Yes. I've had much time to talk with Fujiwara-san and discuss. He seems strangely evasive though. I offered to play a game with him to pass time, but he refused to take his attention off of you. I had to bargain with him just to get him away from your bedside."

"Three days," Hikaru muttered.

"Which was why it was worrisome. Would you like me to call a doctor?" Touya asked.

Hikaru stared at him incredulously.

"Well then, perhaps not. But it's not good for your health to be secluded here in the middle of nowhere, with nothing for company besides your go board, fake glowing fish, and my occasional visits."

"You call visiting three times a week occasional? Not that your visits are unwelcome," Hikaru added hastily, the sentence having come out wrong.

"I know," Akira smiled softly. He moved to help the other teen as Hikaru tried to prop himself up.

"You seriously said Sai?"

"Why would I lie? Besides, why are you so amazed at the fact that Fujiwara-san is here? Though I am shocked at the fact that he seemed to know about me, and how I knew where you were...I was searching for nearly a year, and I only found you because I tracked your IP address when I found you on NetGo."

"Which is illegal," Hikaru answered. "I would've told you where I was...sooner or later. And Sai...the situation Is complicated. Remember the someday that I talked about?"

"Yes."

"I imagine that it would be today. If Sai is truly back, that is, which I still doubt. I believe that I am dreaming, hallucinating, or I've hit my head too hard when I fell."

Akira sighed. "Then I would be in whatever mirage you are. I definitely saw Fujiwara Sai."

"Fujiwara no Sai," Hikaru murmured. "Sai...Sai...really?"

Akira nodded. "Speaking of Fujiwara-san, I will go find him. He should have been back at least half an hour ago. Your house may be spacious, but it's not big enough to warrant an hour to get from the kitchen and back, no matter how you are walking."

"I'll go with you," said Hikaru immediately. Standing up, the teen regretted his actions only moments afterward. Swaying, it was sheer luck that Akira reacted quickly enough to grab him.

"Idiot. I tell you you've been unconscious for three days, and you prepare to waltz down two flights of stairs to your kitchen?"

Hikaru smiled sheepishly. "Forgot about that."

"You should really see a doctor..."

Hikaru dismissed Akira's concern with a warm smile. "Let's just go."

Sighing, Touya nodded, throwing one of Hikaru's arms over his own shoulder, taking some weight of Hikaru's tired body.

Shindou replied quietly, "Thank you. I would be protesting, but I think I might fall if you aren't helping me."

Akira didn't say anything, but rather walked with the other teen slowly. Or rather, tried to walk slowly. Despite the fact that Hikaru wasn't feeling the best physically, he was anxious to verify whether or not it was really Sai who was in the same house. 'It couldn't be, right?' he thought. 'Sai is...gone. For two years now...no, more. And Akira wouldn't be able to see Sai even if he was really back.' Hikaru adamantly quashed the little part of him that hoped that his dear friend really was back, and not just a figment of his delirious mind.

With Hikaru walking as quickly as possible, they made it to the kitchen in time to see a huge cloud of smoke explode out of the door separating them. Hacking, Hikaru waved at the smoke. Akira frowned, and turned on the fan, helped Hikaru lean against a wall, and went to open windows.

"Touya-kun? I think I've broken the heat and light making device in Hikaru's kitchen. It's making weird noises! And there's this weird thing on the wall that's screaming at me!"

Hikaru's heart leapt at the familiar childish tone.

"You've set the smoke detector off, Fujiwara-san," came Akira's patronizing tone. It was the one he used with the students that he played shidou-go (_teaching go_) with, Hikaru noted. But that was unimportant right now. What was Hikaru's main concern was that the supposed ghost that disappeared more than two years ago was now standing in his kitchen conversing with Akira easily.

Ignoring the fact that he could barely stand (three days in bed with no movement would do that to a person), Shindou Hikaru practically threw himself into the room. Unexpectedly, he met resistance. Or at least, human resistance. He heard a slight groan from the much taller figure.

Seconds after Hikaru met what was undoubtedly Sai's warm eyes, his legs gave out. Akira, whom had just finished airing out the room, moved to Sai's side to help him support the teen.

"Hikaru? Hikaru?" Sai called frantically, feeling helpless despite the fact that he could actually stop Hikaru from falling now.

"Help me put him on the couch," Akira instructed. Peering anxiously at Hikaru, Sai followed his orders, marveling at how light Hikaru seemed now that he could actually carry the teen.

"I'm fine," Hikaru waved off their concern. "Just a bit tired from the morning."

Sai frowned at him. "Is something wrong, Hikaru?"

Ignoring Akira's glare, Hikaru answered, "Nothing. And you need to tell me why in the world you're here before something breaks in my head."

"As if a couple screws aren't loose already," Akira muttered, ignoring Shindou's loud protest.

Sai glanced at Akira, and Hikaru paused. "Yeah, we should probably tell Akira about what's going on first, shouldn't we..."

"Akira?" Sai raised an eyebrow.

Hikaru stuck his tongue at childishly at the man he called his mentor. At least, to himself, since no one else knew of the real Sai. "Waya used to teased us about how we bicker like a married couple, so we began calling each other by our first names just to spite him. It sort of stuck, and it's too troublesome to go back to surnames."

"Hikaru," Akira frowned.

"Yes, yes...um, well, when I was in sixth grade, a couple days before I met you, I went to my grandfather's house, and discovered this go board..."

Nearly three hours later, an unusually baffled Touya Akira was staring a bit blankly at Hikaru, and Sai, of course. "You're telling me that Fujiwara-san is a ghost. And that's the reason that you couldn't tell anyone of him? And why you had to hide behind the facade of net go to play my father?"

Hikaru nodded.

"...give me a moment to digest this, please."

"You're talking weirdly again."

Akira sighed, and flopped gracefully (as gracefully as one can 'flop,' that is) into a more comfortable position. "I really see no reason for both you and Fujiwara-san–"

"Just call me Sai, Touya-kun. The Fujiwara-san is getting a bit creepy," Sai interjected politely.

"Sai would be lying to me. Besides, it all clicks together now that your side of the story is known."

Hikaru smiled. "So you believe us?"

"Yes. Logistically..." Akira trailed off as he was hit lightly in the arm by Hikaru.

"Your logic bores me," Hikaru grinned.

"Well, if you'd think in a clear and orderly manner, then it would help your go become less..."

"Less what? Need I remind you that you lost nearly half the games?"

"And I won more than half," Akira shot back. "Besides, I was distracted..."

"Excuses, excuses."

Sai smiled by Hikaru's side. "Apparently you two are still at it."

Akira's cheeks blushed a light tinge of pink, and he bit back the retort he had for Hikaru.

The other teen smiled. "Neh, Sai?"

"Yes, Hikaru?"

"Remind me why you disappeared three years ago, but now you're sitting calmly in my living room, no longer a ghost?" the blond banged boy sounded suspiciously sweet.

"I am curious about that as well," Akira added.

Hikaru suppressed the urge to roll his eyes at Akira's overly formal way of talking.

"I'm not exactly sure. The nurses at the hospital I woke up in told me that I had been in a coma for a bit more than two years, and that it was a miracle I did wake up. I went to look for you, Hikaru, but Shindou-san told me that she didn't know where you were. Why aren't you home, Hikaru?" Sai frowned, sensing a story that would be long and complicated.

"No reason," Hikaru murmured vaguely. "Just got a bit tired of the surroundings, and I wanted to see some of the country for a change."

"Hikaru..." Akira sighed, brow furrowing. "If what you said was true–and I highly doubt that you could be so elaborate and flamboyant of a storyteller if it wasn't–then Sai deserves to know the truth."

"Fine...I got into a bit of a slump for various reasons, so I decided to go on hiatus in the pro world. I'm not officially resigned, but all my games and everything are paused. I'm not really sure if you're allowed to do that, but I was, so I'm not complaining."

Sai missed the glare that Akira directed at the other teen.

"Hikaru~! You're not playing go anymore? Why?" he sounded horrified at the fact that Hikaru had stopped participating in their favorite game.

"I haven't stopped playing go," Hikaru corrected. "I've just stopped playing in the professional world. I still play often."

"How do you play if you're all along in this big house, Hikaru?" Sai asked.

"I play with Akira a lot. Do you remember the computers that we used to play on sometimes, during that summer?"

"Computers?" Sai sounded clueless.

"So that was you," Akira interjected.

Hikaru nodded, and spoke to Sai, "The magic boxes that you could play go in."

"Oh! That thing!" Sai smiled in realization.

"I play with tons of people on my laptop too."

"But don't you want to feel the go stones?" Sai pouted.

"You underestimate how many games Akira plays with me every week. Frankly, I don't know how he has so much time to spend so idly. Don't you have games and tutoring sessions, and those groups with your father. Not to mention things outside of go," Hikaru stared almost accusingly at his friend.

"I have time," Akira replied, though he looked sort of guilty.

"Not that much time. I know how busy the life of a go pro is, and spending three whole days with me a week can't be easy for you to find time for."

"Why are you so adamant about discussing this right now?" Akira evaded.

Hikaru paused for a moment before answering sheepishly, "I've never really found the time to chase after you about it. It was always go, go, and more go. But now that I'm on that track anyways, you should take more time for yourself."

"I am. I like playing go with you." Akira answered pointedly.

Sai nodded approvingly, and lifted a hand up. Technically, he was trying to raise his nonexistent fan to cover the lower half of his face, but there was the fact that he had no fan...or the long sleeves that brought a real feel of the Heian period.

"You're sure?"

"Yes."

HIkaru shrugged. "Well, I do enjoy playing go with you." Turning towards Sai, he asked, "Neh, Sai?"

"Yes?"

"Do you want to take the pro exams? They should be starting in a bit, and there's no way you wouldn't pass. You'd be able to play lots of strong opponents almost everyday."

"Really?" Sai asked, wide-eyed, as if the possibility of him, Sai himself, becoming a pro never crossed his mind. Which, knowing Sai, it probably hadn't.

"Yup! You can tons and tons of games with people like Ogata and Touya Meijin. Well, you'd have to work your way up first, but it'll be no problem for you, I'm sure."

Akira watched their exchange silently.

"Let's go then, Hikaru!" Sai beamed ecstatically. "We can go play lots of go?"

Fleetingly, Sai thought that he saw a slight tinge of pain and a sort of wistfulness in Hikaru's eyes before he replied, "Go with Akira when he goes back to the city later. Wait...don't tell me you were here the entire three days!" Hikaru turned to glare at his friend.

"It was no problem. I haven't missed days in a long time, and I had no important tournaments anyways."

"Akira~!"

"I wasn't just going to leave you here unconscious with a man who I didn't know, especially one who couldn't boil water or use a microwave."

Sai looked slightly put off. "I can make perfectly good food."

Hikaru just sighed. "Thank you, then, Akira."

The boy nodded.

"Anyways," Hikaru continued, "go back with Akira later. I'll pen a letter of recommendation or something else important sounding, and you'll be able to take the pro exams that are coming up."

"Why are you writing a letter? Come with me, Hikaru!"

"I can't, Sai. Besides, I like the peace and quiet of my house," Hikaru replied, voice wavering ever so slightly. "There's nothing stopping you from going though, and I'm not going to take the opportunity you've been waiting for all that time away from you."

Sai raised the nonexistent fan again, and after a few moments of frowning, proclaimed, "I won't go with Touya-kun unless Hikaru comes with me."

Hikaru gained a rather dramatic look of horror. "You can't do that! You've always wanted to play more go, and now that you can, you plan on spending your life cooped up in this boring house?"

Akira sweatdropped at Hikaru's counter argument. After all, it was him that just stated that he loved his new house and the silence of it.

"I'm not going."

Touya thought that Sai pulled off the kicked puppy look very well, with the watery blue eyes and wounded pout. He was also rather shocked that the stunning go player could be so...so, childish.

"Sai~!" Hikaru whined.

Then again, Hikaru wasn't the most mature person that Akira knew either. Perhaps all go players were incredibly odd. He didn't have any odd habits though...

"Yadda (_no_)."

Hikaru looked, and was, incredibly irked. Sai was being ridiculously illogical. "What good does such a brilliant go player like you do sitting in this drab house?"

Akira felt like banging his head on the table, but that would be impolite to Shindou and his guest.

"I would say the same, Hikaru! You were really good at go, and I know that you must've gotten much better in the time that I was absent."

"But I don't want to!" HIkaru threw his hands up.

'Forget politeness,' Akira thought to himself. 'We're all going to be sitting here for the rest of the day if I don't do something about this.'

"Hikaru, I'm dragging you back to the city with me whether you like it or not. Staying here isn't good for your health, all alone."

"You visit three times a week. I'm not alone." Hikaru deadpanned.

"You wouldn't be able to get help should anything happen." Akira pointed out.

"I'm not two, I can take care of myself," Hikaru shot back.

"I don't care. I did say whether you liked it or not. Sai, please pack an overnight bag for him. I'll come back sometimes and collect his other things at a later date. Also, bring his goban (_go board_), please." Akira instructed.

A gleeful looking Sai moved to obey.

"Akira. I'm not going back with you," Hikaru spoke seriously after Sai left the room. "You know why, and I am _not_ leaving."

"Which is exactly why I am dragging you screaming with me. You aren't going to just sulk away in this house all alone just because of a mishap in your life."

Hikaru glared at his friend. "I can do so if I want to. Besides, can you imagine the uproar that I would cause, suddenly reappearing again after two years? Not to mention being in the public eye all the time. I don't want pity."

"As your friend, I am entitled to call you an obstinate idiot and do what's best for you," Akira shot back.

"I am _not_ being stubborn, or an idiot."

Akira sighed, and replied, "Please, Hikaru? I don't want to see you here all by yourself, I don't want to just abandon you here alone."

Hikaru's emerald shaded eyes softened. "Exactly why I'm staying here. I won't subject you to that."

"Hikaru!"

"...Only if you promise that you will be the only person to see me. I'll find an apartment somewhere quiet and let Sai play go, and you'll be the only one to ever know where I am, right?" Hikaru bargained.

"You do realize how impossible that is, Hikaru?"

The teen sighed. 'I do. It's a hope though."

"A very unlikely-to-be-fulfilled one, I would say," Akira answered bluntly.

"Whatever. I'm going to hope that the go world has forgotten all about me, then."

Akira raised an eyebrow, before murmuring, "Wait here."

Moments later, he appeared with his laptop. Flipping it open, he typed in a URL and turned the monitor towards Hikaru. On the home page of Go Weekly's website was a picture of him, two years ago, smiling brightly. The letters 'Have you seen this go player?' were printed in big letters across the top.

Hikaru stared. "It's been two years, can't they get over it?" he grumbled a bit irately.

"Well, you are the go player that has been missing for that long. You were in the middle of an important league too, so there are still lots of devoted go players trying to track you down. Especially those insei friends of yours."

The emerald eyed teen blinked. "That's nice...wait, that's horrible! Forget it, I'm not going."

Before Akira could comment, Sai burst into the room. "I'm done, Hikaru~!"

"Good," Akira said. "Grab that stuff and stock it into my car, please. I'll follow with Hikaru. I have a feeling I'm going to need my hands free for this task."

Sai nodded, and walked out of Hikaru's house.

Akira warily eyed the other teen, and then he pounced.

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Four hours later a sulking Hikaru was sitting on a bed in his newly furnished, newly bought apartment. Despite his vehement protests, Akira had combined his earnings with Hikaru's (a couple years playing pro go, and with a few titles under his belt, Akira wasn't exactly poor; not to mention the fact that Akira regulated his spending money from an incredibly young age, and didn't have much to spend it on besides the occasional go supplies), and bought the two roomed flat for Hikaru (with mortgage that would need to be payed monthly, if only In small amounts). After threatening him that Akira himself would move in to guard Hikaru day and night if he did anything rash or stupid and didn't stay in bed, the teen rushed off, claiming that he had a couple of games to attend.

Hikaru had sent Sai off with a note and a promise to play a game with him after he came back, and the blond banged male hoped that Sai wouldn't get lost or something...then again, the Go Institute wasn't the hardest place to find, especially with the number of times the duo had visited it.

'Speaking of which,' Hikaru thought, 'we still need to go shopping for some clothes for Sai. He only has the T-shirt and jeans that the hospital provided when he was discharged.' Nodding, Hikaru added that to the list of things he still had to do. He sighed. He never would have imagined the amount of things he would have to do this week when he woke up the morning of Akira's visit. Shindou only anticipated a couple of games of chess shared over a meal or two and a few debates before his friend left.

"It could be worse, I suppose," he murmured quietly to the empty flat. "In fact, let's think of reasons my day could be worse...Sai could be gone, still, that's a good one...perhaps go would disappear off the Earth?" Hikaru groaned, slightly frustrated. He didn't really want to push Akira into really moving in, but Hikaru was _bored_.

Sure, he spent hours upon hours for approximately two years by himself with visits from Akira, but that didn't mean that he had to love the silence. Shindou Hikaru would always be a genial and happy person, and a couple years of seclusion hadn't really changed that. Besides, he had the go and the fact that isolation was necessary to consol him.

Now that he was in the city, anyway though...perhaps it wouldn't do Hikaru any harm to go out and find something interesting to do. Which was why, barely two hours after Touya Akira had threatened Shindou Hikaru with great bodily harm should he even think about stepping out of the threshold of his new house, the latter was strolling casually down the street with a pair of sunglasses, a wig, and a jacket with a hood on it, despite the fact that Hikaru claimed he wouldn't walk out of his house the whole time he was in the city. As for where he got the materials, well...

Either way, Hikaru was walking down the street. Deciding to go ahead and find some clothes for Sai, some of his own that weren't borrowed or boring hospital issued clothing, Hikaru slipped into a shop that he normally wouldn't be caught dead in. After all, Sai's tastes did seem similar to that of most go pro players, whom, unlike Hikaru, were usually dressed formally and neatly.

Browsing carefully through the racks of clothing and dutifully ignoring the rather suspicious looks that the store's stiff looking employees gave him, Hikaru reached a hand up and took of the sunglasses. It was getting too dark in the warmly lit room, and the last thing he needed was to be unaware and walk into someone he knew. Then again, pretty much no one that Hikaru would recognize would be out and shopping now, especially since the schedule of a go player is crowded and carefully planned out, from games and tutoring and practice sessions for go pros, and work and go playing for the more casual, and go players were pretty much all Hikaru used to associate with, bar a couple others like Akari.

As he noticed a shirt that Sai might like (though he wasn't sure, and wouldn't be buying anything until Sai could come with him), Hikaru didn't notice a hand also reaching for the same shirt. Perhaps a momentary lapse of concentration (lack of consciousness for three days didn't help his motor coordination, especially since Hikaru was out and around despite not being at his best) but Hikaru was so shocked at the hand that seemed to appear out of nowhere that he jumped back, tripping over the perfectly smooth floorboards and into what would soon become a tangled mess of limbs.

Before Hikaru could fall onto the unforgiving floor though, something, or rather someone, caught his wrist. He stared up at into the eyes of one Touya Kouyo. Hikaru pushed himself up off the floor, and couldn't find the right words. After all, he had disappeared from the world without a trace two years ago, and he was suddenly here shopping for clothing. Hikaru could tell that the man was waiting for him to explain, shock having briefly showed through his eyes before unyielding calm took over.

The ex-Meijin let go of his wrist, and didn't say anything. Hikaru groaned internally, and promised to himself, 'I'll never doubt your words again, Akira.' Blinking a couple of times, and suffocating from the tense silence, Hikaru offered a weak, "Hi?" before his body decided that the best thing to do under such stress levels was to fall into unconsciousness.

Sure enough, Hikaru hit the floor with a soft thump moments later, his last thought being how 'uncool' it was to faint so femininely in front of the elder go player, and the scathing remarks Akira would soon give him.

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**My latest plot bunny that has been bugging me is finally published! Not much to say, but please do drop a review and let me know if this story is worth continuing. Title will probably change, sooner or later, as I'm not the best at coming up titles before I know my plotline well, and the rating is high too for the same reason. Thanks for reading, and I hope you liked it.**

**EDIT 10/8/10: I've fixed some typos, and added a sentence or two. Nothing major. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Hikaru no Go, in case you're wondering.**

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When Hikaru blinked opened his eyes wearily, the first thing he saw was a fretful and tired looking Touya Akira. He cursed colorfully in his mind, before physically smiling and asking, "What happened to you?"

Apparently that wasn't the right thing to say (though Hikaru knew fully well, and also knew that Akira needed to relax and blow off some steam, and a good yelling match would be a good way to get the other boy less tense), because aquamarine green orbs glared fiercely at him. "What did I promise that I would do to you if you left the house?"

"Unspeakable, horrible things that would make my blood run cold?" Hikaru resisted a smile.

"Shindou!"

Hikaru sighed. "I'm fine. By the way," he added, looking around the room, at the surprisingly soft futon that he was lying in, "where am I"?

Akira's glare didn't relent much, but he replied in a more reserved voice, "You're in my room. Remember? You fainted–" insert a glare here, "–in the shop that my father just happened to be buying clothes at. Apparently you just crumpled after you met his eyes. He called me, and we brought you back here. This is why you don't go waltzing around after a few fainting spells."

"I didn't faint, I just passed out," Hikaru pouted. "And is there anyway that you can get me out of here and convince Touya-san that stress was getting to him and he hallucinated my appearance?"

It was a miracle that Akira didn't roll his eyes. "No, there isn't. My father may not be as young as we are, but he hasn't gone senile yet. Besides, even one senile wouldn't have missed your dramatic appearance. Really? Sunglasses? The way you're dressed, it's a wonder that the shopkeepers hadn't thrown you out. Inconspicuousness is not one of your talents."

Hikaru pouted. "Well then...I hadn't expected on getting discovered on the first day you dragged me back. What should I do now?"

"Nothing you can really do but ask my parents to please keep quiet. But if you were discovered on the first day back in the city, I don't think you'll be able to keep up your facade for very long," Akira answered.

"Do you think Touya-sensei and Touya-san will keep ignore the fact I'm back?" Hikaru questioned hopefully.

Akira paused for a moment. "My mother probably would. My father...at the very least, he would want to know why first. Your disappearance caused a great uproar, and not even he was disinterested. Maybe you should just–"

"No," Hikaru shot out. "I'll tell him the same thing I told Sai."

"I don't believe that you should be lying to Sai," Akira stopped. "It feels odd to be calling him by his first name now that I know who he is, and the fact that sai is not just the username he plays under while using NetGo."

Hikaru laughed. "You have seen Sai when he's excited about something. I would compare him to a young child looking into candy store windows, with the revering looking he has in his eyes every time we used to come across anything related to go."

"And you're any better," Akira said.

"It's his fault," Hikaru shot back, smiling. Adopting more serious features, he added, "I'm not lying to Sai."

"You're just not telling him the truth," Akira stared back.

"He doesn't need to know the truth," Hikaru answered stubbornly, setting his arms over his chest.

Akira exploded. Not literally, just in a metaphorical fashion, of course. "What do you mean he doesn't need to know this? This...this...you can't just whole up in the countryside and just..." Heaving, the go pro turned away from Hikaru. "You weren't even going to tell me. That's..."

Hikaru sighed, and reached for his friend, patting him gently on the back. "I know. Sai really loves go, and I can't bear to take it away from him. Even if it may just be for a bit, I want him to be free of worries for once."

The other teen turned around and glared heatedly through slightly damp aquamarine orbs. "And you think that no one will be worried? That go is more important to Sai than you?"

The blond-banged teen paused for a moment, before shrugging.

Akira stared at him, and came to a stunning realization. "You...really think that Sai will abandon you for go. That's ridi–"

"You don't know how much he loves go," Hikaru whispered a bit brokenly. "I'm fine by myself, I don't need anyway to take trouble themselves about me."

"Baka (_idiot_)!" Akira yelled at him, all traces of tears gone. "Go may be the reason that so many of us live for, but do you really think that we would put a simple game as prior to the lives of friends and family?"

Hikaru stared at him. "Wow, I would never think Touya Akira of all people would call go a _simple game_. What would all the adoring fans and rivals you have think?"

Akira's cheeks tinged pink. "Perhaps my wording wasn't the best. But you can't seriously believe that Fujiwara-san will abandon you for go? He doesn't seem like that sort of a person. My father loves go too, but I'm sure that he'd never desert our family for it."

"Sai will pout for hours if he hears you calling him by his surname," Hikaru said. "He can be so childish about the littlest things."

"Hikaru! Don't avoid my question."

Hikaru sighed. "Maybe not. But you know, Sai died for go. I don't want to force him to choose between go and myself. It wouldn't be fair to him."

"You're really afraid that Sai will leave you for go," Akira frowned.

Hikaru shrugged, but remained quiet. Finally, he spoke. "Maybe, maybe not. Either way, Sai deserves to chase after his own dreams for once, and I'm not going to be selfish enough to ruin that for him."

Before Akira could say anything, a quiet knock sounded on the door before it opened. Someone Hikaru mildly recognized as Akira's mother came in with a basin of water, towels, and another pitcher of drinking water, somehow balancing everything.

Akira stood up and took the pitcher and towels from her. "Thank you."

Touya Akiko smiled gently at her son, before turning to their guest. "Shindou-kun."

Hikaru moved to stand up, but was forced down by identical glares, Akiko's gentle appearance fading away into a mothering worry. "Kouyo brought you to our house, and said that you weren't feeling well and fainted in a store, or something like that. You're welcome to stay as long as you need to."

The teen in the futon smiled. "Thank you, but I'm feeling much better. Sorry to inconvenience you, I'll be going now." True to his words, Hikaru stood and made his way out, nodding courteously to the lady of the household, and murmuring, "Thank you," before walking about of the room, albeit wobbling a bit.

"Hikaru! You can't just walk out. You don't have any way to get to your apartment, and Father said that he wanted to speak with you! And don't go running off after you've just fainted! Hikaru!" Akira dashed out after his friend.

Akiko smiled fondly after the two teens, before picking up the items again. Shindou-kun was obviously very energetic and rather impulsive, and it appeared that the child had rubbed off on her own polite child. It couldn't be a bad thing, how Akira was so much more lively, Akiko decided, before walking off.

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

Fujiwara no Sai was not having the best day. Oh, don't get him wrong. He was ecstatic to be whole and among the living again, where he could play go and spend time with Hikaru all he wanted. The problem was that after a rather stressful visit to the Go Institute, which involved answering lots of questions that he evaded about Hikaru and his letter of recommendation, considering that Hikaru had been missing for quite awhile, he came to a completely empty apartment.

He did notice a note on the dining table, but it simply said, "Sai, I'm off to go find a couple things. I should be back before you return, but just in case. ~Hikaru.:

That was several hours ago. So, Sai had a valid reason for pacing back and forth in the moderately sized kitchen/dining room, and did. When he finally couldn't take it anymore, Sai heard the front door open. Cautiously, he walked into the hallway.

Hikaru was standing there, with Touya-kun behind him, and Sai was torn between jumping with joy and relief, and hitting the back of Hikaru's head. "Hikaru! I thought you said you'd be back before I came home!"

"I ran into someone unexpected," Hikaru answered sheepishly. "Some things got...out of hand, I suppose, and I was delayed by some unfortunate events."

Sai frowned. "What happened? Are you both all right? And Touya-kun is really influencing your speech." He smiled softly at the last comment.

"He is not!" Hikaru pouted. "I could never speak like that!"

Hikaru's tone was playful, and Akira's answering one had a mock tinge of offense. "What's wrong with the way I speak?" Then the teen became more serious. "Hikaru, you should rest. Have you been feeling particularly woozy or dizzy lately? You should see a doctor if you have been..."

"I'm fine," Hikaru answered immediately. "Probably just with everything going on, and the slight case of a cold I came down with awhile ago."

"You got sick the week that I couldn't come and visit you?" Akira's voice raised skeptically. "What kind of idiotic timing is that?"

"I can't control when I get a cold," Hikaru retorted.

"Hikaru?"

"Yes, Sai?"

"Would you please tell me what took you so long then?"

Hikaru chuckled sheepishly. "About that...it appears that Touya-sensei knows that we're back in town."

Sai's eyes grew comically wide. "What? Already? But Hikaru, we haven't even been in the city for a full twelve hours? You didn't go into his go salon, did you?"

"Even Hikaru wouldn't be that utterly stupid," Akira scoffed.

"Now who's talking like who?" Hikaru teased, ignoring Akira's scowl. "Anyways, I was going to try and find something for you to wear, Sai. All you have is what's on your right now, neh? I thought that no one I knew would be out then...I guess I forgot to count retired go professionals into everyone I knew. ."

"Huh? Hikaru, what did you say?" Sai asked, tilting his head to the side.

"He said, I saw him, fell back, and fainted," Akira clarified, staring chillingly at Hikaru. "My father took him home and called me."

Sai lost his puppy-ish look and frowned. "You've fainted again, Hikaru? Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Hikaru answered. "Like I said, just the cold and a bit of stress lately."

"Is it...because of me?" Sai asked hesitantly.

"Of course not!" Hikaru exclaimed almost before Sai finished. "I'm much happier with you here, and I've just been feeling a bit under the weather. It's not your fault at all, and don't you dare think so."

Akira nodded silently in agreement.

"Now, I'm starving. Since I'm not setting foot out of this apartment for a very long time, just in case another Touya decides to appear out of nowhere like they seem to be so prone to doing–" Hikaru glanced at Akira, "–I'll see what we have. Wait...you didn't bother to take any of the groceries from my refrigerator. Or any of my cooking supplies. Or...anything for that matter, besides my goban and clothing. It's nice that we bought the apartment furnished, but everything looks so...drab." Hikaru decided that now was a good time to glare at his two perpetrators, and did so.

"Sai! Akira! What are we going to do now? You might not be living here, Akira, but we do need to eat."

"I've..forgotten about that aspect of the situation," murmured Akira, embarrassed. "I just wanted to get you out of that depressing house, and it seemed like a really good opportunity..."

'I really have influenced that stubborn Touya,' Hikaru thought fondly. 'He would've never admitted to doing anything wrong before, and wouldn't have done anything wrong either.'

"I highly doubt that any restaurants or grocery stores are open at this hour," Hikaru mused. He ignored Sai's questions about grocery stores and how they operated. "I think that there's this convenience store a couple streets down from here that is open later into the night. I should be able to find us some ramen, or something else instant and quick. Not to mention water...we really need to go back to my house and get some things, Sai."

"You don't have much in that house anyways," Akira told him dryly. "You got your groceries delivered every other day, and you only had the bare minimum. Besides the stuff I asked Sai to pack and the goban, there's pretty much only furniture left."

Hikaru paused. "Well then. I guess we'll be going shopping tomorrow. At least, I will be. I'm going to need another disguise...you have your things to do, Akira, and Sai has the pro games coming up soon, right?"

Sai pouted. "Hikaru~! You had me face all those scary go fans by myself! You should've seen the looks on their faces at that note!"

"Hm. I guess, this is Sai, he wants to take the go pro exam, let him, I recommend him; ~Shindou Hikaru, wasn't such a good note to write then..."

Akira felt the familiar urge to start banging his head on the table again. "Hikaru! Don't tell me you were really stupid enough to do that!"

"Are you calling me stupid?"

"You mean you really did that?"

"I was in a hurry! And I'm not the kind of person that'll sit down and write this huge long formal letter. For someone to take the pro exams, it's best that they have a recommendation from a pro or is an insei, right? I happen to be a pro, since I haven't retired officially yet and I'm not dead, so it works, doesn't it?" Hikaru reasoned.

Sai choked back a laugh, and smiled when Hikaru glared.

"Whatever. Akira, are you staying over? It's pretty late, it might be dangerous to go back alone. That, and you look quite feminine..."

"The comment about my masculinity was unnecessary," Akira glared. "I think I will stay though, if only to make sure that you don't run away during the night. It's no trouble, right?"

"Mostly none. You'll have to sleep on the floor with one of the futons though, since my bed is still in my house..." Hikaru said.

"I sleep in a futon anyway. It's no problem, as long as you don't mind." Akira answered.

Hikaru nodded. "Okay, then. I'll go find us something to heat in the microwave or something that only needs adding water to, something that won't require utensils or cooking."

"I'll go get it," Akira answered immediately. "You should rest. In fact, you shouldn't be up and walking about anyways."

Sai frowned, feeling like he'd be doing lots of frowning in the near future. "Touya-kun is correct. You should rest, if you've been feeling unwell."

"I'm fine," Hikaru waved off their concerns, though he felt a spark of happiness at the fact that they _were_ concerned.

"Stay," Sai ordered, in a rare act of ignoring Hikaru's requests. "I'll go with Touya-kun. You want ramen, or if they don't have that, curry, right?"

Hikaru nodded, and reluctantly sat. "I'll go set up the futons then. Akira, make sure you call your parents before they track your cell and break down my front door or something. It's pretty late already. Oh, and if Touya-sensei asks, tell him I've disappeared again, neh?"

Akira sweatdropped. "I highly doubt that will work, Hikaru. But I will call my parents...and I don't think that they'll break down your door either."

The blond-banged brunet merely smiled at him. "Hurry back then, if you're so adamant about going yourself. And be careful."

"It should only be a couple blocks away, but we will," Akira reassured him.

Hikaru nodded, and waved them both off. After making sure the door was firmly closed behind them, he headed toward one of the bedrooms. The other was unfurnished, and apparently had been used for some sort of storage, according to the dust that wafted throughout the room, of which Hikaru had not had time to air out yet.

Once he was in the room, Hikaru closed the door behind him, glanced left and right, and then collapsed heavily onto the only futon that was set out, the one he had done before leaving for his shopping endeavors. Grimacing, he gently kneaded through the tense knots in his muscles. 'I've been on my feet for far longer than I've done so since I began to live in the country,' he thought to himself.

"I suppose that's why I feel so weak," Hikaru almost spit out. Sighing, he laid on his side, and curled up into a half ball. The day had been unexpected for him, and it showed in his physical and mental state. Oh, he was elated to see Sai again of course, and finally share his story with Akira, but the shocks had also left his quiet life in minor disarray.

Tucking his head on his bent elbow, Shindou Hikaru sighed. He continued to lay there until the doorbell rang, and when it did, managed to drag himself up off the floor and into the hallway. Opening the door, he came across his two friends both holding several shopping bags worth of stuff.

"Food!" Hikaru beamed, only acting ever so slightly.

"Yes, Hikaru, food," Akira answered wryly.

"We can eat on that table on the floor. It seems that the previous owner was into the old Japanese customs, because I haven't seen those sort of tables in quite awhile," Hikaru said.

"My family has those kind of tables," Akira glared at Hikaru.

Hikaru just smiled. "So, what did you buy?"

"We got instant ramen, curry bentos (_lunch boxes_), bags of food that can't go bad, and lots of different colored water," Sai grinned.

Raising an eyebrow, Hikaru looked towards Akira.

"He means chips and other varying snacks, as well as iced tea, juices, water, and a can or two of soda, I believe."

Watching Hikaru continue to peer at him curiously, he continued, "Sai thought that the colors looked pretty in the bottles."

'Ah. So that's why Akira bought so many bottles of refreshments. And when he usually wouldn't be caught dead drinking anything but purified water and tea made from purified water.' Hikaru grinned. "Let's eat, then. Neither of you have eaten yet, right?"

They both nodded, and Akira mentioned, "We had breakfast this morning. Speaking of this, you haven't eaten anything solid since...you fainted three days ago!" The last part was shouted loudly.

"You somehow fed me water, neh?"

Akira said, "Yes."

"Then there's no problem. I'm not dehydrating or something, so I'm fine."

"Hikaru~! You haven't had solid food in three days? And you didn't think to mention it before ushering me out the door and to the Institute?" Sai asked.

"It slipped my mind. I'm not really that hungry anyways."

That was apparently the wrong thing to say, because Akira was at his side before he finished the sentence. "Are you feeling all right? Woozy? Tired? Loss of appetite? Pain? Soreness?"

Before Akira could continue, Hikaru interrupted, "Yes, no, no, no, no, and no. I'm feeling fine. Just not hungry."

"I think that would classify as loss of appetite," Akira answered with a glare. "I'll cancel a shidou go session that I have scheduled for my father's go salon in the morning, and I'll find a hospital."

"Yadda (_no_). You're not getting me anywhere near something resembling a hospital unless you drag me there unconscious."

"Hikaru!" Sai frowned. "If you're feeling sick, you should go see a doctor."

"No."

"Hikaru!"

"No. Now are we going to eat or not?"

"Hikaru!" After three minutes of relentless calls from Fujiwara no Sai, the blond-banged brunet was starting to get extremely irked. "I'm fine, Sai." He was really glad that Sai couldn't exactly tell his moods mentally anymore. "Like I said, just a bit tired."

Sai stared at him, rather suspicious, at least, as suspicious as Sai could possibly look. After scrutinizing him for several moments (of which Hikaru was panicking through), he nodded. "Hurry up and eat, then go to sleep, Hikaru. And I'll take him to the doctor tomorrow, Touya-kun. It's not like I have much to do anyways. If you'll just leave me some sort of a card..."

Akira thought for a second, before nodding. "Are you sure? I'm sure I can cancel a shidou go session. It's one of the regulars, and I know that he won't mind if I claim I have something urgent to attend to."

"I'm telling you both that I'm fine!"

Hikaru's protests were belatedly ignored.

"Yes. I don't believe that there's much I can do in preparation for the pro games besides play games, and Hikaru will definitely be able to do that with me, right?"

Hikaru pouted at being ignored, but nodded eagerly at the expectation of a game with Sai again.

Akira paused doubtfully again, but finally agreed. "I'll find you directions tomorrow, we should all eat something first. And Hikaru, I don't care if you're not hungry, or if you don't _want_ to go visit a hospital, because I really don't care what you want or don't want when it's about your health."

"Mou, you're so mean, Akira!" Hikaru whined. "I'm perfectly fine, I don't need a _doctor_." The last word was said as if he was talking about something ridiculously horrid.

Akira sighed. "Doctors are highly honored and respectable people in society. They're not here to maim you, you know."

Sai hid a chuckle, and ignored Hikaru's glare.

"We have...instant ramen or curry tonkatsu with rice. Which one would the two of you like?" Hikaru asked, standing up off the floor.

"Neh, Hikaru?"

"Yes?"

"What does ramen taste like?"

Hikaru gasped dramatically. "You don't know the wonders of ramen? You must have some!"

"Doesn't ramen just taste like noodles? I've had noodles before..." Sai murmured, but didn't resist.

"And Akira, you want curry, right?" Hikaru called out.

The other teen nodded, and placed some plastic utensils and three bottles of refreshments in varying colors on the table.

Three minutes later, Hikaru reappeared with two cups of ramen and a plastic plate with curry on it. "Where did you manage to find the utensils and plates?" Hikaru asked.

"They happened to carry a few, since it is a pretty much a place that sells snacks and drinks and food, for the visitors who are eating on the go. Not the best way to eat, but at least it works," Akira answered.

Hikaru made an understanding noise in the back of his throat. He gently set the meals down, and sat down quickly. "Sai! Eat the ramen!"

Akira resisted the urge to roll his eyes valiantly, but failed. Hikaru saw, and stuck his tongue out at him. Sai watched all this with a peaceful smile.

"Itadakimasu (_time to eat, thanks for the meal, etc._)," they murmured, before breaking apart the disposable chopsticks and beginning to eat. Both Akira and Sai noticed that despite the fact that it was ramen that Hikaru was eating, the teen didn't do much eating, but more like twirling the curly noodles around and around in the bowl.

"Hikaru? You're not hungry?" Akira inquired, staring suspiciously.

"I'm feeling a bit off," Hikaru allowed. Taking a couple bites, he murmured, "I think I'll eat later. I'm just a bit tired right now. Swallowing a mouthful of the broth, he carefully set the rest on the table with the cap over the noodles, and stood up. "I have the futons set up. They're all in one room right now, but you can move them if you'd like. The other room isn't exactly...liveable right now. though. 'Night."

Akira looked worriedly after Hikaru, and moved to stand up, but Sai stopped him. After he made sure that Hikaru was safely down the hall, he set down his own dinner and peered cautiously at the teen. "What's wrong with HIkaru? Does he have a cold? He's acting really odd."

The teen paused, as if fighting an internal battle, before answering, "You should ask Hikaru that. I can't tell you, that would be extremely offensive towards his privacy. I'm sorry."

Sai merely nodded, but looked more worried by the second at the grim look that fleeted through Akira's features.

"Can you tell me if he'll be all right?"

Akira whispered, "No, I'm sorry," before finishing his dinner neatly (his manners still held, even in the face of such an emotional situation), and setting the dining ware into one of the now empty plastic bags. Sai also quickly consumed his ramen, and did the same as Akira before the two of the stood up and made their way to the master bedroom of the apartment. It was large and spacious, and didn't really look to be as much of a bedroom as it did to be a huge family room, or something else of that matter.

True to Hikaru's words, there were two futons set up, and a bundle of sheets and a quilt in another little lump. When Akira noticed that the pile of blankets was vibrating, he carefully nudged the top sheet off of Hikaru. "Are you all right?" he asked skeptically.

Hikaru nodded, and smiled at him. "Yup. Just a bit tired, like I've said. And remind me to go shopping tomorrow for another futon. Though it feels pretty much the same sleeping on a futon as it does the floor on a couple of blankets...never mind, remind me to get a bed or something."

Akira managed a grin. "Goodnight then."

Hikaru smiled back, and called out to the two of them, "Goodnight. By the way, there are a couple extra blankets in the cupboards if either of you need them."

The pair nodded, and Akira moved to at least splash water on his face and get some of the nonexistent grime off of him, before pausing. "Hikaru?"

"Yes?"

"Why aren't you sleeping on a futon?"

"Apparently the person who first owned the house was only one person. There's one futon, and another one for a guest, it seems. Which is why I need to go shopping tomorrow? Can I sleep now?"

"May I," murmured Akira absentmindedly. "Sleep on the futon then. I can sleep on the floor."

Hikaru raised an eyebrow. "I can't tell the difference. They both feel equally hard to sleep on, though you'd probably beg to differ," he added, seeing Akira open his mouth. "Just go to sleep. I'm tired. The bathroom is across the hall."

Akira sighed, but nodded. "All right." He left, closing the sliding door behind him gently.

"Hikaru?"

"Yes?"

"Will you tell me what's wrong?" Sai's voice sounded softly, but seemed to echo off the suddenly enormous room.

"What–what do you mean?" Hikaru questioned, his voice quavering slightly, as his heart sped up.

"You know what I mean. What's the matter, Hikaru? Do you have a cold? Is something bothering you?" Sai asked worriedly in a melodious tone.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm tired. Goodnight, Sai." Hikaru felt horrible for acting so harshly with his mentor and one of his best friends, but did what had to be done, at least in his opinion. "I'm just a bit tired."

He heard Sai sigh. "I wish you'd tell me, Hikaru." The violet-haired man let the matter drop though, Hikaru thankfully noted.

"I will, Sai," Hikaru whispered quietly to himself. "Someday."

He smiled wryly to himself, face in a bundle of blankets. He remembered a similar promise to Touya Akira, and it had taken him two years to fulfill it. Whether or not this one would be fulfilled as quickly, Hikaru didn't know. He wasn't going to tell Sai unless things got any worse though. No use in making Sai worry needlessly.

He closed his eyes, and let the warm blankets and the sound of Sai's gradually evening breathing sooth him to sleep slowly.

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

Touya Kouyo was usually a very calm and serene man. Nearly a lifetime of go had honed the patience and calmness that had been instilled into him by his conservative parents. He rarely lost his temper, or was visibly surprised in any way. When he came home and found that the young man he had been looking forward to questioning gone, he couldn't help but feel a twitch of annoyance and frustration.

"Akira spent the night with Shindou-kun," his wife explained to him upon Kouyo's return. "Did you want to speak with them?"

The ex-Meijin merely nodded silently, and answered, "I will, sooner or later. He did seem a bit ill, it is better for him to rest first."

Akiko had nodded, and the couple had tidied up before heading off to bed.

Several hours later, the man was in the hospital. It was nothing serious, just an annual checkup that he was required to go to after the stress gave him a heart attack a few years ago. Despite the fact that Kouyo found the appointment and routines rather tedious, Akira had rose his voice for the first time to his father, when he mentioned skipping the checkup. The boy had glared fiercely at him, and actually lectured him on the importance of seeing a doctor.

Akira looked absolutely mortified seconds after his exclamation, and apologized repeatedly after he realized what he had done. Kouyo had just nodded, and smiled ever so slightly, and spent an hour in the dreary hospital once a year, every year, afterward.

So here he was, leaving the examination room after he was cleared. What he didn't expect, however, was to come face to face with Shindou Hikaru for the second time within twenty four hours. Despite the fact that he was greatly surprised, Kouyo managed to maintain his ever knowing look and merely waited for a reaction.

Sure enough, he got one. Sai would've sworn that he saw Hikaru jump a foot into the air, before attempting to run in the other direction. Sai, holding out a fan (which he picked out of Hikaru's surprisingly large collection), thwacked Hikaru on the back of his head. "Don't run away. That is impolite, especially to your elders." Sai himself bowed.

"No one bows anymore," Hikaru seemed to forget the ex-Meijin's presence, smiling like a parent gazing a trouble making child. "Ok, maybe not no one, but not a lot of people do, Sai."

"Sai?" without realizing it, Kouyo had spoken aloud.

"Shoot," Hikaru murmured to himself, feeling that he would definitely be reprimanded by various sources if he used anything stronger. He grabbed a hold of Sai's wrist, and started heading determinedly off in the other direction.

"Hikaru! That's impolite! Don't just walk away! Hikaru!" Touya watched almost entranced as Hikaru tugged Sai away. "Hikaru! I'm going to tell Touya-kun that you've skipped out on your appointment! You're next, you can't just run away!"

The ex-Meijin watched, bemused, as Shindou immediately stopped in his tracks, and glanced over his shoulders as if imagining that Akira would appear all of a sudden. "He'll never know," Hikaru decided. "And you won't tell him, Sai!"

"Shindou-kun? I merely wish to speak with you. There's no need to run away."

"..." Hikaru turned around. "Do you have any idea how creepy that sounded, Touya-sensei?"

"Hikaru!"

Kouyo blinked. 'That wasn't intimidating, right? I didn't say anything to offend, why would he think it was creepy?'

"Remind me to tell Akira that his father has been spending too much time with Ogata-sensei," he heard Shindou mutter, before setting off in the other direction quickly. As if on cue, his cell phone rang before he could get all the way down the corridor.

Faintly, he could here his son's voice on the other end.

"How did your appointment go, Hikaru?"

"...it went fine. I'll be going back to the apartment now."

"You didn't go, did you?"

"...I did!"

"Shindou Hikaru!"

"I'm not going! I ran into someone unexpected–" Kouyo felt like clearing his throat, wanting to remind the boy that he was still standing here, and well within hearing range too, "–and I'm not going! I'm going to sleep for the rest of the day."

"You can sleep after your appointment!"

"Yadda (_no_)!"

"Hikaru!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"YES!"

When Touya Kouyo had heard from his various go-playing peers about the radical change in Akira, he hadn't believed it. Akira seemed as polite and quiet as always, and though the father noticed small subtle changes, it wasn't that radical. In fact, the first big sign was the fact that Akira had practically ordered him to go to his checkups. Now, though, he could definitely see how extremely Akira had changed since his meeting with Shindou.

"NO!:

Sai watched helplessly, and felt immensely grateful when the man he wanted to consider his rival stepped in before the nurses would come and berate them for yelling in a hospital. "Akira."

The voice on the other side of the line quieted immediately. "Yes, Father?"

"I will take your friends to the appointment, for whatever reason they are here. I'll take them home, and you can explain to me what is going on."

"Hai."

"Good."

"Goodbye."

"Sayonara."

Hikaru watched wide eyed as Touya-sensei handed him back his phone. "Shall we?"

The blond-banged teen broke into a run in the other direction, before being apprehended by the man he called Sai.

The violet-haired go player smiled. "Thank you, Touya-san."

Kouyo merely nodded, before Sai dragged Hikaru kicking and screaming (literally...) Into the examination room. Sai walked out himself moments later, and the pair stood there silently.

Feeling a headache come on, Kouyo predicted that the rest of the day would be just as troublesome as the previous.

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

**And finished! Thanks for all the reviews, everyone! They were all really encouraging, and I replied to all those that I could (the ones not anonymous). I came across a couple of reasonable/frequently asked questions, and decided to answer them on a whole rather than individually:**

**Why would Hikaru give up/pause playing go, and his passion for it, when he clearly loved it, and would at least keep playing for Sai? **

_Trust me, I didn't just cut off Hikaru playing go because I have no idea how to play go, ;) He didn't stop completely, but rather paused his professional career. As for the reason why, I can't tell you right now! It would ruin my plot._

**Why did only three days of lying in bed cause enough trouble for Hikaru and he needed Akira's help to walk, while Sai had laid unconscious on the hospital's bed for two years, yet he could instantly move and even walk normally?**

_First of all, who agrees with me that a ghost from the Heian period who came back to life 1000+ years later sounds unreasonable? Well, logic just doesn't apply with Sai...as for the part about Hikaru, I can't tell you that either, hehe._

**What about Hikaru's seemingly frail state and the fact that he fainted several times, quite femininely?**

_Not telling...just kidding. I still can't give that away though, so please just keep reading!_

**That should be about it. The way their names are called now depend on whose general point of view it is, and other things like that. Hm...yup, that's about it. Thanks so much for reading and reviewing, and alerting and all that other awesome stuff! Please do continue to give me commentary. **


	3. Chapter 3

Hikaru sighed as he neatly buttoned up his shirt. The appointment results were as expected, and didn't exactly raise his spirits. Nevertheless, it wouldn't do to fret over it, or, worse, make any of his friends worry about him. Not when they led such busy lives already.

As absentminded as the official checkup had made him, Hikaru made sure to remind the doctor of the doctor-patient confidentiality that he was entitled to, and that he had not in any way given permission for any medical personnel to give away any of the events that occurred behind the closed doors to either of the men waiting outside, or anyone else.

Offhandedly, Hikaru wondered how Sai would react if he actually knew the truth. Grimacing at the image his mind conjured, he decided that keeping silent, or at least avoiding the issue, was probably the best course of action, however painful that withholding the truth from one of his dearest friends was.

"Shindou-san?" the doctor asked, interrupting his silent brooding.

"Hai?" he murmured back, distantly.

"Please sign this. It's just to acknowledge that you understand everything that has been told to you during your appointment, and that you wish for all happenings to be kept confidential."

Hikaru nodded, and skimmed the document carefully. He would have normally just signed it after running his eyes over it, but this was too important (at least the confidentiality part) to just sign it randomly. That, and Akira's ever present caution had finally impacted him, with all the time they spent together (upon Hikaru's adamant refusal to let anyone else know his location in the past years).

Signing it with his surprisingly neat scripture, he handed the clipboard back to the man. "Thank you," he said.

"Take care, Shindou-san," the doctor replied. Hikaru managed to suppress a cringe at the emotions running in the man's eyes.

Nodding, he replied, "Thank you," before quickly taking his leave.

As Hikaru opened the door, and prepared to stride purposefully out and away from the doctor and his troublesome problems, he was surprised to come across Sai, and even Touya-sensei, sitting in uncomfortable looking white chairs.

On the other hand, he wasn't all that surprised. Hikaru had managed to escape the last time, but he had a feeling that the ex-Meijin wanted a nice and thorough explanation to his sudden disappearance, and his equally sudden reappearance.

Eyeing the end of the hall, Hikaru wondered if he would have the energy to sprint out of this creepy place and all the way back to his apartment. Glancing back at Sai and Touya-sensei, he thought it probably wouldn't be a good idea. But...Shindou Hikaru wasn't exactly best known for his orderly manners and logical thinking. Taking a quick breath, the go player began running in the other direction.

"Hikaru!" Sai protested almost immediately, and moved to run after the teen. Kouyo stopped him, and together they stood and watched as Hikaru made a break for the exit...and ran straight into Touya, the younger.

Thankfully, Hikaru wasn't running quickly enough that he would injure either of them, but Akira gave a grunt as they collided.

With a sound of displeasure of his own, Hikaru frowned. "Akira? I thought you had a tutoring session and a game later on in the evening today. You should be relaxing, not walking around a hospital."

Akira glared at him. "I figured something like this would happen, and you would try and walk out of here. No. You're going to explain to me why exactly you're so weak, and what you have."

Kouyo and Sai watched silently from their places. "Don't talk so loudly," Hikaru hissed.

"They deserve to know. If not my father, I know for a fact that you should tell Sai, and explain everything in depth." Akira replied.

"No."

"Yes. Listen, Sai wouldn't shun you for it. He needs to know what's going on. We need to know. Even I don't know the full details, and I've been visiting you almost daily for the past two years."

Hikaru frowned. "No."

"You're being irrational, Hikaru."

"No."

"Hikaru."

"Why? Nobody needs to know."

"Hikaru!"

The blond-banged teen sighed. "I'm perfectly fine. There's nothing wrong with me, and the doctor says it's just a mild cold. He prescribed some antibiotics, and I'll be fine in a couple of days with fluids and rest."

He gasped as Akira snatched the paper away from him. After skimming the prescription, the younger Touya glared at him. "This is a prescription for pain relievers! You're in pain?"

Hikaru winced at his elevating volume. "We're in a hospital...and since when do you know the names of medicines and their properties?"

"I looked up on them when you told me," Akira hissed.

"...that sounds like a waste of time," Hikaru answered.

The other teen glared at him. "Tell me!"

"No."

"Tell me what's wrong!"

Hikaru turned away obstinately.

"You...you...idiot!"

Sai watched their argument, despite the fact that he could really hear what they were saying across the hall when Hikaru purposely lowered his volume, except for a few exceptionally loud outbursts. Whatever it was, Touya-kun did not look happy.

"Should we be worried?" he managed to ask in a serene tone, despite his conflicting emotions. "That looks a bit...harsh, even for one of their arguments."

Kouyo looked at him in a skeptic manner. "You have not seen their real disagreements, have you, Sai-san?

"No...but it doesn't look like they are quarreling about something as frivolous as the wrong placement of a certain go stone or two this time."

"Akira must know something we don't. I haven't seen him this worked up since I refused to skip a game so that I could come in for my annual checkup."

Sai decided not to comment on that. "Hikaru has been acting oddly lately. I believe that he should be the one to give out details, but he's been...distant, and I almost had a heart attack when I realized that he left the go world. He loves go."

Kouyo nodded knowingly. "Of course. One wouldn't spend hours playing a game that they detested, unless they possessed some form of ulterior motive."

The two men were then surprised to see Akira dragging Hikaru back into the doctor's office. They glanced at each other, but settled again in an almost compatible silence, considering the fact that they had never really met 'face-to-face' before this day.

As Hikaru was being towed back into the room, Sai watched as he protested loudly. "Akira! Doctor-patient confidentiality! Even if you ask the doctor, he won't be able to tell you."

Akira growled, but continued heading towards what he hoped to be answers determinedly. "I'm your medical proxy, not to mention your friend. I should know! If you know what's wrong with you, you shouldn't be keeping secrets!"

Hikaru glared back at the other teen. "I'm perfectly fine. You're the one that doesn't believe me despite the fact I vehemently exclaim it!"

"That's because it's not true!"

"Boys?" the doctor that was awaiting his patient had opened his door to see what the commotion was about, and found the pair of shouting teens and the next patient, too petrified to come anywhere near the explosive duo.

"What?" the two snapped in unison.

The doctor decided it was probably a good idea to back away, but was obligated to at least protest the huge breach of hospital regulations. "Please do be quiet...we are in a hospital," he offered weakly.

Hikaru sighed, running a hand through his bangs. "Sorry," he murmured, taking deep breaths to calm himself. Akira followed suit, but glared at Hikaru.

"I want answers," he declared.

Shindou, suddenly too tired to argue, finally nodded. "Fine. I suppose you do deserve to know. You'll find out sooner or later anyway...come after your game," he answered wearily. Softly, he smiled. "Touya Akira, skipping a game, even if it tutoring. What would the go world think?"

Akira had the decency to blush. "I'm sorry about the yelling too. And...what do you mean I'll find out soon enough? Hikaru?"

The other teen was already walking lazily off in the other direction. "Feel free to come a bit early and stop by for dinner. I'm going to go buy groceries and other things that you didn't think to bring when you dragged me out of the house!" Looking back, Hikaru said, "Coming, Sai?"

The ex-ghost glanced skeptically at the other man standing with him, asking silently, 'How in the world do they go from shouting in hysterical anger to sheepishly smiling?'

Touya Kouyo didn't answer, but merely watched as his son straightened his clothing, cleared his throat, and answered, "Fine. Seven o'clock, as always?"

Hikaru bobbed his head up and down, and together the Touyas watched as he left, with Sai trailing behind him.

"Shindou Hikaru is an interesting individual," Kouyo commented lightly to his son, whose cheeks were tinged pink from the yelling. "Take care not to scream in a hospital again."

"Yes, Father," Akira answered. "I'm sorry."

The ex-Meijin merely nodded, and beckoned for the boy to come with him. "You have time for a game before your match with the 6-dan?"

Akira nodded again, and followed his father out of the hospital.

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

Fifteen minutes later, Hikaru was, for the lack of a better term, completely freaking out. The boy had seemed to finally realize what exactly he had promised Akira, and it was _not_ one of his best decisions. Sai hovered near him, worried, but also curious and full of dread at whatever could be so catastrophic that the teen couldn't, wouldn't, tell anyone anything about.

"Hikaru?"

"Hai?"

"Take a deep breath. Everything will be fine, okay? I'm not sure what's going on, but everything will be okay."

Sai was being surprisingly understanding about this whole mysterious situation, and also very responsible. Not to say that Sai couldn't be, but he was usually childish to a certain degree, and only very serious about go, or Hikaru.

Hikaru nodded weakly at the older man, and smiled. "I know. It's not like Akira will explode and murder me or anything, but I can't help but be nervous."

The duo was walking along the street, looking for a cheap–and hopefully also serving tasty food–restaurant, before they would continue their search for household supplies and anything else that the two of them might need in the city that Hikaru didn't need living by himself.

"Is there anything to be anxious about, Hikaru?" Sai asked solemnly.

Hikaru didn't answer the violet-haired man immediately, but just nodded after a few moments contemplation. "I'm sorry, Sai," he whispered very softly, not expecting that the other go player would hear him at all.

Sai did, however, and chose not to comment. Whatever Hikaru had to share might shatter his world, but the least Sai felt that he could do was wait, and listen to Hikaru's explanation before supporting his younger friend as best as he could.

"Want to get some hamburgers?" Hikaru suddenly changed the subject, projecting a bright–and slightly strained–smile at Sai. "You haven't had anything of the sort yet, right, Sai?"

Sai nodded, and the two of them swerved into a door. Hikaru walked up to the cashier and placed their orders, before handing her the payment. The two stood in a comfortable silence until the woman handed Hikaru their tray.

Nodding politely, Hikaru led Sai through the stream of people sitting in the booths and tables. Dropping himself in one side of a booth, he motioned for Sai to join him on the other side. When Sai did, he pushed the tray towards him. "Eat."

"You're not hungry, Hikaru?" Sai noted observantly as he noticed that Hikaru didn't move to get any of the food. "You should eat, it's not healthy to skip meals."

Hikaru smiled at him. "I'm fine."

Upon Sai's skeptical look, he sighed. "Really. I'll eat a bit if it makes you happy, but I'm not really hungry right now."

Sai frowned, and watched carefully as Hikaru unwrapped one of the two burgers that he bought, and deliberately took a bite out of it.

"See? I'm just a bit full from breakfast."

"You didn't eat breakfast, Hikaru," Sai chided him. "You said that you had something to do, and didn't appear until I dragged you out of the house for your appointment."

Hikaru chuckled sheepishly. "Well then...I'm eating now."

Though Sai highly doubted Hikaru's excuses, he didn't push it. Picking up the other hamburger, he made a mental note to monitor Hikaru's nutrition intake. Just because he was a ghost over a thousand years old didn't mean that he didn't understand the importance of eating three square meals a day and getting adequate rest, both of which Hikaru seemed to have trouble getting enough of.

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

When Akira rang the doorbell to his rival's apartment, he heard a muffled, "Coming!" before a lot of shuffling. Three minutes later, Sai showed up at the door.

Touya tilted his head to the side, silently asking where Hikaru was.

Sai shrugged helplessly. "Hikaru decided to set up the extra futon that we've bought. There was no more room in the master bedroom though, so he had to clean the second room before he could set anything up. I tried to stop him...but he was extremely adamant about the whole thing, and began clearing out the room and brushing dusters on the walls..."

Akira scowled.

"I'm sorry!" Sai exclaimed, cowering slightly under the boy's fierce glare.

Akira blinked, and murmured, "Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. It was very impolite of me, I apologize," before wandering off in the direction of another yell.

Sai hid a smile.

"Hikaru? What are you doing?" Akira called out, as he entered the room. The sight left him speechless. The teen surveyed the room with a calm serenity that was eery, to say in the least. "Hikaru?"

"Yes?" Hikaru answered sheepishly.

"What possessed you to paint your room bright purple? That's painful to look at, not to mention not a very sensible choice. Who sells purple paint for remodeling anyways?"

Hikaru pouted. "I couldn't find anyone that carried neon purple paint, only dark and lighter shades, so I mixed red and blue together."

Akira sighed. "And that didn't give you a clue about the fact that neon purple is not a very good color to coat your spare room with?"

"...I like this color," Hikaru answered.

Touya felt like he was developing a headache again. "Is, by any chance, that paint easy to remove in some way? Or are we going to have to paint over it all?"

"Why do we have to paint over it? I think neon purple is perfectly fine!"

"...Hikaru. You're planning on spending most of your waking moments at home in this room. Do you really want to wake up to neon colors everyday?"

Hikaru paused. "Yup!"

Akira resisted the urge to bang his forehead on the now brightly colored walls. "I'll go buy lavender paint tomorrow. Whatever you're doing, you can't paint a room in neon purple. Especially not one that I have exposure too."

The shorter teen scowled. "Bleh."

Just then, the smell of smoke began wafting into the small room. "Hikaru? I think whatever you're cooking is burning!" the two teens heard Sai call.

"Shoot!" Hikaru yelled, as he rushed out of the room.

Making it to the kitchen in time, he quickly turned off the oven. Reaching in, he had his hands swatted away by Akira, who had finished opening several windows. Sai beat at the plumes of gray smoke with his fan, looking quite frazzled.

"Don't reach your hands into a burning hot oven!" Akira cried. Picking up a towel, he pulled the dish filled with slightly burned pasta out. "And setting anything that you're not watching carefully to such a high temperature is a bad idea."

"It would cook faster though...and it was only a bit above what the recipe instructed...," Hikaru trailed off. "And I was watching it! Sai caught it before the house burned down or something bad like that, right?"

Akira felt like banging his head on the conveniently placed counter top. "Hikaru. You're supposed to follow the recipe. It's there for a reason," he instructed slowly. "And that was not just a bit above. It's a good forty degrees, way too high."

Hikaru shrugged. "At least nothing burned...and the pasta is cooked, if a bit...um...crispier than it should be."

Touya sighed. There would be no use arguing with Hikaru, and nothing would be spent but an incredible waste of time. "Is there anything else that you were cooking?"

"Nope. Just the pasta. There's soup that I have to heat up, but that'll only take a few minutes."

"I think...I'd better do the soup," Akira answered. "Just set the table."

"I'll do that," Sai intercepted neatly. "Just small plates and bowls, as well as chopsticks and spoons, right?"

"Yup. The napkins are already on the table. I can do the bowls and plates, and you can do the chopsticks and spoons, ok?" Hikaru asked.

"Just sit down, Hikaru. I can get the stuff," Sai replied stubbornly. 'The doctor's appointment has reminded me rather painfully how frail Hikaru seems to be for some reason, despite the fact that he never shows it,' Sai thought to himself mournfully. 'Even if this is all I can do...I want to help Hikaru.' With that determined, the violet-haired man gently manipulated Hikaru into a chair.

The younger boy protested, but ended up sitting quietly after his complaints were ignored. He didn't miss the thankful look Akira tossed at the man either.

"Fine," Hikaru pouted moodily. He paused. "Neh, Akira?"

"Yes?" the other teen replied distractedly.

"Did I open a window to let the paint fumes out inside the room?" Hikaru murmured.

Akira stopped stirring the soup. "Why?"

"I do recall that the paint can said something about it, but I skimmed the instructions."

"I think Touya-kun means, why are you mentioning it now?" Sai interjected.

"Oh. Um...it's because I'm feeling slightly woozy, and I'm wondering if it could be because of the toxic fumes or something–" Hikaru tipped over in his chair. Sai quickly set down the utensils he was holding and hovered, hands reaching for something to do. Finally, he decided that perhaps just rearranging Hikaru into a more comfortable position was the right immediate thing to do, once he checked the younger man's pulse.

"Touya-kun?" he called out worriedly.

"Hang on," Akira mouthed to him, having dialed the number to a local help hotline. "Hai. Inhaled paint fumes for quite a long time, on accident. Hai. Hai. Ok. Thank you very much." He hung up. "The nurse said that as long as the exposure isn't prolonged or continuous, Hikaru just needs to rest. Although why he didn't bother to open a window...never mind. He probably just forgot or something, knowing him," Akira sighed, running his hand through some of his hair, a habit he had picked up from Hikaru, Sai noted.

"That sounds right," Sai murmured worriedly.

"It should be. Hikaru should've let us know that something was wrong, if he was feeling dizzy or uncomfortable...," Akira trailed off unhappily.

Hikaru let out a soft groan, before his eyes fluttered opened.

"Hikaru!" Sai cried, bending down slightly to peer into Hikaru's emerald eyes. "Are you all right?"

"Yup," Hikaru answered immediately. "I knew that I forgot something when I started to paint...I had the newspapers on the floor though. I guess the opening windows thing just slipped my mind."

"You shouldn't forget such important things," Akira chided sternly. "That was dangerous. The woman on the phone mentioned that the paint fumes shouldn't be potent enough to cause unconsciousness so quickly unless...," Akira stopped suspiciously. "Eat, and then we'll talk."

Hikaru swallowed nervously. Oh dear. His long friendship with the other teen told him that it was not going to be a pleasant talk, with the tone of voice he was using.

"Touya-kun?" Sai queried softly.

"Hai?"

"Did you happen to turn off the stove?"

Akira nodded, and walked over to the soup. "I'll have to reheat it...again...but it should be done in a minute or two." He turned the heat on high, and stirred it carefully.

"I'll help you finish setting the table, Sai," Hikaru moved to stand up.

And was immediately glared back into his seat by two pairs of annoyed eyes. "Ok, ok, I'm just trying to help."

Touya looked at him, irritated. "We didn't let you do it before, what idiots would we be if we let you stand up after you just _fainted_!"

Hikaru smiled sheepishly. "Well, I suppose...but there really isn't anything wrong with me!"

Met with two gazes of skepticism, Hikaru decided that it was probably best to just not talk, and save his energy for the stressful 'chat' that was going to come.

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

"Neh, Sai?" Hikaru said.

"Yes?" the ex-ghost murmured, slightly distracted by the game Hikaru had just finished with Akira.

"I haven't played you since...that game, right?"

Sai focused his attention onto Hikaru. "Yes. Would...you like to play a game?"

Hikaru merely nodded, and smiled brightly at him. "Please."

Raptured, Akira gently cleared away the finished game, and watched as the two men began their game. An hour and a half later, he was still just as awed. In the end, Hikaru had lost by three moku, without komi. Despite the fact that Hikaru had definitely improved, by far, Sai was still a step ahead of him, with more experience and more games played.

"Thank you for the game," Sai said, Hikaru echoing his words a moment later.

Hikaru stared at the game for a moment, before smiling up at the other player. "Still not good enough to beat you, neh, Sai?" The blond-banged go player looked content in a way Akira had never seen him since that fated day two years ago.

"That's not true," Sai answered. "You've improved. I think that the only thing you're lacking is the experience that playing many different opponents of great skill gives you."

"I still play challenging games," Hikaru protested. "NetGo has surprisingly good players. Besides, I can beat Akira, can't I?"

"That's because you're so used to my playing style," Akira interjected. "We have been playing together for years, after all."

Hikaru sighed. "I don't think I can step back out into the pro world without causing a huge riot. I have been on hiatus for over two years now. Besides, now is not a good time...," Hikaru trailed off.

"Why?" Akira stared at him. "You still haven't told anyone the complete truth behind the reason you disappeared from all public view. And private. Your mother doesn't even know where you are!"

"I have my reasons," Hikaru replied softly.

"Well tell me! That's why I'm here. To listen to you tell me what in the world is wrong, and what I can do to help!" Akira exclaimed helplessly. "I want to help you...," he whispered.

"Akira...all right. I'll tell you...I might as well tell you both, and save me the horror of telling the story twice. Besides, I believe that you deserve to hear this too, Sai. Unless you don't want to. You can leave if you don't," Hikaru said uncertainly.

"Hikaru! I want to help you too, don't ever think I would purposefully abandon you!" Sai cried, looking hurt.

Hikaru smiled at them, albeit shakily. "Thank you."

He paused. "Well...I've been feeling a bit under the weather for a while."

Akira held in a sarcastic comment at the huge understatement. Better to just let Hikaru finish explaining.

"It's...hard to describe. Apparently this is the first case that the doctors have ever seen. Anyways, after a couple days of research after I was first admitted to the hospital, they said that it seems to be like Guillain-Barre Syndrome." Hikaru paused.

"Elaborate what that is, please," Akira murmured.

"It's a bit like a bad cold. With other...unpleasant adverse side effects. It's not really what I have, and apparently the treatment for it is different, and the standard treatment for GBS wouldn't work."

Noting that Hikaru would probably not give any more information about his health other than what he had already given, Akira mentally instructed himself to look up GBS as soon as he could.

"Anyways, as a result of some of the...eh, adverse side effects, I made up my mind to come into the country side, and find refuge for a bit until I felt...better. Then you showed up, Akira, and then Sai...and the rest, I suppose, is history." Hikaru finished vaguely.

"That...is the least descriptive story I've ever heard," Akira said dryly. "In fact, it's barely an outline of a story. What happened to all the explanations that you were going to give?"

"Unimportant," Hikaru dismissed instantly.

Both Akira and Sai sighed, although Sai's was definitely more...dignified, for lack of a better word. "Since you're not going to say anything more," Akira said, "you might as well go to sleep. You did faint after all."

Hikaru nodded. He was a bit tired...ok, perhaps a lot. "Thanks, I will. You can stay over if you'd like, but I would suggest...staying out of the room with the paint fumes in it. I threw a window open, but it might take awhile for the room to clear out."

"Thank you, but I think I'll return home today. I have some other things to do," Akira explained. He planned on spending the night researching, and making sure that his best friend didn't do such ridiculously reckless and health detrimental things again.

Aforementioned friend stared suspiciously at him. "Ok. Be careful on your way back."

Akira nodded. "I'll call you when I get home." It had become a ritual for them, this routine. Hikaru's country abode was far from Akira's own city home, and the blond always had Akira call to make sure that the other teen had gotten home safely, however silly that custom might seem.

Hikaru smiled. "See you." The teen moved to stand up and see his friend to the door, but swayed before he could take a step. Both Akira and Sai reached for the blond, but Hikaru managed to somehow steady himself before he toppled.

"Hikaru!" Akira chided angrily. "Go to sleep."

Hikaru sighed softly. "Yes, Mother."

Akira scowled, and nodded at Sai before leaving. Sai returned the nod, before turning his attention towards Hikaru. "Are you all right?" he murmured quietly, eyes casting a sad, worried, look at Hikaru.

"I am," Hikaru replied confidently. "There's nothing to worry about, Sai," he continued, wanting nothing more than to get rid of the bitterly devastated look on Sai's face. "I really am fine."

Sai didn't say anything, but let his fan fall over the lower half of his face to hide his expression. He couldn't suppress the wounded look in his eyes though, and Hikaru hated himself for that.

"Good night, Sai," Hikaru said firmly, before lying down and pulling the quilt over his chest, high enough to block everything but his eyes from view. "We can play some go tomorrow, neh?"

He closed his eyes and waited until all he heard was the soft padding of Sai's feet walking away. He would have to come back to sleep, but Sai had other things in his mind at the moment.

Feeling a dampness in his eyes, Hikaru hardened his resolve. Even if it meant that Sai's bond with him was broken (even though it was one of the few things that Hikaru treasured beyond even go), he wouldn't hurt Sai like he had before. Never again.

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

Akira scowled. He had come home expecting to find the only laptop in the entire Touya house unoccupied, as it usually was; there went plans of research. Apparently one of his father's students had asked to borrow it, and his mother had lent it to the him.

Never mind that. He could always visit an internet café tomorrow and do his research there. If it wasn't for the sense of urgency that bubbled through him, he wouldn't have even bothered scowling.

Shaking his head, Akira sighed as he lay down on his futon. Something was definitely odd about the way that Hikaru was acting, and he didn't need to be a seasoned go player to recognize that. In fact, if he didn't seem aware that the blond banged teen was acting so oddly, it would be extremely idiotic of him.

He turned over, suppressing another sigh. There had to be some research that he could get his hands on _now_. 'If not,' Akira mused, 'I might just drive myself insane.'

"Akira? I'm off to bed, good night!" He heard his mother call softly from the room down the hall.

'Hang on...didn't Mother buy some medical diagnostic books on one of her...creativity sprees?' Akira leapt up, and shouted after his mother's retreating form. "Mother?"

Touya Akiko paused. "Yes?"

"Do you still have those medical books that you bought a while ago?"

"Yes. Why?"

Akira's mind raced. He didn't want to lie to his mother, but he didn't want to give away Hikaru's secret without his permission either. He had a feeling that the boy wouldn't take kindly to him blurting out his life secrets to anyone, even if it was his mother. "An experiment of sorts."

The woman didn't say anything, but did glance at him a bit oddly before leading him to a set of shelves. Bending down, she lifted out two large volumes, before handing them to him. "This should cover whatever you're researching."

"Thank you," Akira smiled.

Akiko merely nodded, and replied, "Good night. Don't stay up too late."

"Good night," Akira answered, fingering the spines of the heavy tomes. This would definitely help stave off his worry, until he had access to the vast research supplies that the internet could provide.

He watched as his mother retreated into the room his parents shared, and he dashed back into his with the books tucked neatly against his chest. He sat down at his desk, and flipped to the index of the first.

"Guillain-Barre...," Akira murmured to himself, thumbing through the pages until he got to the one he wanted. "An autoimmune disease...that attacks the peripheral nervous system..." he read on with growing horror, only managing to remind himself that perhaps, just perhaps, Hikaru's symptoms were different, and the end result would be too. After all, the boy had said that his disease was simply a variation of GBS. 'But why hasn't Hikaru gone to receive treatment for it?' Akira asked himself, afraid of the answer.

He closed the book hurriedly, and sat there in deep silence. "Hikaru...what's going on?"

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

Sai frowned. Today was the preliminaries of the professional examination, and the doors to the Go Institute was crowded with people. Hikaru had played a game with him this morning, smiled confidently and told him that he would surely win, and sent him off with a bento (which Sai wasn't sure when the blond banged boy had found time to make) and a note from him in case anyone tried to deny him access.

The violet haired man felt like a child when Hikaru nodded encouragingly from the doorway, and made sure that Sai knew the phone number of Hikaru's cell, before sending him on his way.

He made sure everything was tucked in the small knapsack Hikaru had handed to him. He opened the note that Hikaru had written, and grimaced at its contents. Very...Hikaru like. Taking a deep breath, Sai readied himself before walking forward to brave the crowd.

Immediately, the crowd swarmed around him. Letting out a surprised cry, Sai managed, somehow, to not get trampled by the rush of go players.

"Are you the player that the Shindou Hikaru is sponsoring?"

"Where is he?"

"Why did he disappear?"

Sai closed his eyes, and tried to ignore the voices, stepping forward. He didn't get far before he met a solid wall of resistance. He side-stepped, and winced when he saw that the wall did the same.

"Ano...can you please move?" Sai called out weakly.

Judging by the rather offended expressions that the group bore, he had a feeling that they wouldn't be so kind as to step out of the way. "Hikaru...," he whispered to himself. "What have you gotten me into?"

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**Done~! Did you see that coming? Thanks for all the awesome support, everyone, please do continue to give me feedback on ways I can improve my writing!**


	4. Chapter 4

Sai frowned as he silently glided out of the Go Institute through a back door that few people knew about: he only knew because of his numerous visits with Hikaru, and the fact that the boy had found sneaking in and out of the building and leaving reporters completely baffled much fun.

The day hadn't gotten much better, from the awful start in the morning, and Sai was ready to scream. He had rather mercilessly slaughtered his opponent in his first preliminary match for the pro exam, and was now feeling rather guilty. He hadn't meant to take his frustration out on the poor pro hopeful, but Sai could definitely see why Hikaru used to be so adamant about disappearing...though he had really vanished from the public eye before his go could be recognized and praised as it deserved to be, Sai noted regretfully.

Either way, Sai was getting more and more annoyed at the crowds that kept following him around with hope that they might get information on HIkaru's sudden vanishing act. It wasn't like he had any more information than the rabid looking crowds...

Sai sighed restlessly as he stepped out of the alley behind the Institute and glanced both directions before quickly making his way towards the apartment that he was sharing with Hikaru. "At least," the man murmured, "none of Hikaru's friends happened to show up. It would have been disastrous if someone that actually knew Hikaru appeared."

Feeling generally down, Sai glared petulantly at a pedestrian that just happened to pass by. The poor man shrunk away, and Sai blinked, calling an apology after the innocent bystander that quickly scurried away.

Sai winced.

Shaking his head, he convinced himself that moping and making other people upset because of his own problems was a bad idea. 'I'll go and try and find some more information on whatever is ailing Hikaru,' Sai thought determinedly to himself.

He strode off purposely to the nearest bookstore, not noticing the small group of wide eyed children that stared after the strange man with the wildly fluctuating expressions.

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

As Akira set down stones rather absentmindedly, he sighed.

"Are you all right, Touya-sensei?" the go salon veteran asked the young go player, sensing his teacher's bad mood. "You seem a bit...distracted."

Akira fidgeted slightly. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine," the middle-aged man replied. "Anything specific bothering you that you want to talk about?"

"No, I'm fine. Thank you," Akira declined politely. "Shall we continue?"

"Why don't you go home and relax? You seem too tense, Touya-sensei," the long time customer of the ex-Meijin's go salon suggested. "Get some rest."

"But..."

Akira's protests were shot down by the surprisingly firm man, and he ended up wandering home again, despite the desire to check up on HIkaru and see if his friend was having any trouble with anything. After all, Sai was apparently taking the pro exam today.

Akira winced a bit sympathetically for the poor challengers that would come to face Sai. They would be facing a heavy loss, even if Sai was playing a teaching game.

He neatly inserted his key into the front door of his house, and stepped in. "Tadaima," Akira called, though he doubted that anyone was home at the moment. His mother was usually off doing chores and shopping for necessities with her friends during this hour, and his father, despite his retirement, was still an avid go player and spent much of his time either at home playing with his former acquaintances and students or out playing go in salons.

Pulling off his shoes, he noticed that the laptop was sitting neatly on the coffee table in the living room. On it was a note from his mother telling him that his father's student had returned it and it was there for his use.

Sighing, Akira gratefully sat down on the floor in front of the table, neatly folding the note into half and setting it on the side before turning on the computer. Though the Touyas were rather traditional Japanese who still followed many of the less modern traditions, they weren't completely out of date. They had things they needed, and things that made life easier, though both his parents had been sure to enforce manners and respect for his culture into his background.

Tapping his fingers and feeling a distinct lack of patience, Akira wondered if knowing Hikaru for so long was corrupting his sense of politeness and serenity. When the computer finally seemed to turn on, Akira quickly called out his browser, and typed the three words that had been plaguing him all day.

Sighing as several web sites popped out of the search engine, and feeling uncharacteristically impatient, Akira began the daunting task of finding exactly what was wrong with his best friend, off a quite inconventional source.

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Unbeknownst to a certain famous young go player, his rival and best friend was sighing at the same time, though for entirely different reasons. Shindou Hikaru was staring at his computer in the fashion that one would bear when hearing of their pet being run over a car or something of that sort.

The odd part was, that Hikaru was _not_, in fact, hearing of the death of a beloved pet, but rather staring at his computer screen. He was playing NetGo. Now, perhaps you might think that this expression was being shown because the blond banged pro was losing, heavens forbid. But no, Hikaru was winning. That was the problem. The teen was winning way too easily, as he did have several years of experience, training, and natural talent under his belt.

Being presented with no challenge, Hikaru quickly defeated his opponent before logging off and throwing himself onto a futon in his bedroom. He was utterly bored, and feeling rather dejected.

Despite the fact that he had spent nearly two years almost always alone in the middle of nowhere, Hikaru still tended to be very extrovert, very social. Now that he knew that Sai could be with him again, the young man craved for his mentor's company, withholding the fact that Sai could be completely childish some of the time.

Hikaru stared glumly at the ceiling, feeling guilty at his selfish thoughts. 'Sai finally gets to live the life that he wants, and I'm selfish enough to want to take it from him?' Annoyed and disgusted with himself, Hikaru turned over onto his side.

Nevertheless, he couldn't ignore the persistent boredom that seemed to be at his every step. NetGo could only stave off his desire to play go for so long, and with Sai being so busy and Akira already taking so much of his time to play with Hikaru, there wasn't exactly much more Hikaru felt he could do.

He groaned, and winced slightly as he rolled over on the wrong part of his body. 'What are the chances that someone I know will be in a random go salon I look up?' Hikaru asked himself, wondering. When the unrelenting ache in his legs seemed to sap away much of his energy, HIkaru made up his mind. Sitting here wasn't doing him much good anyways, and he might as well play some more go before–he cut off that train of thought viciously.

Tugging on some boring, neutral (in HIkaru's vibrant point of view, that is–they looked perfectly good to Akira...at least when he was shopping for them) clothes and a baseball cap that hid his blond tresses, Hikaru logged back onto his computer, and pulled open a map of the local go salons in the area. Closing his eyes, he randomly pointed at one of them. After making sure that it was rather secluded from common perspective, Hikaru smiled, satisfied and grabbed a notepad, scribbling a note addressed to both Sai and Akira before closing the door to his front door gently behind him. There was only so much that such an outgoing, go-obsessed person could take, Hikaru reasoned with himself, in such a large city with so many opportunities.

Satisfied with his own thoughts, Hikaru made his way quietly down the road and towards his destination: a small, mostly unheard of go salon tucked behind a sushi shop and a book store, almost hidden away from view if one didn't know what he was looking for.

Smiling to himself, Hikaru inhaled the familiar scent of cigarette smoke (not exactly the healthiest thing to do in his state, or any state for that fact, but whatever...) and go boards. The go salon was relatively empty, with only a few patrons that looked like they were frequent visitors, but Hikaru was desperate to play someone to play go with him. 'Besides,' he mused to himself, 'you never know if a person is good or not until you play them.'

"May I help you?" the man behind the desk asked Hikaru, obviously thinking that the oddly dressed teen had probably gotten himself lost or something, despite the fact that the salon was at a very remote location.

"Yes, what would the fee be?" Hikaru inquired, extremely politely for his personality.

"500 yen for children," the person replied, looking interested at the strange visitor.

'I'm not that much of a child,' Hikaru pouted internally. Sighing, the teen reached into his pocked and counted out the money. '300 yen...380...400...450...No! I'm short! I didn't bring that much money anyways, and the whole shopping thing was really hard on my wallet.' Mind racing, Hikaru came across his solution. Smiling sweetly at the patron, he asked, "If I win against everyone in the salon, can I get in free? If I don't, I'll wash all your stones for you."

Reminded of a similar wager made by Waya a few years back, Hikaru smiled nostalgically.

The man behind the desk stared incredulously at what he believed to be a completely asinine person. Sure, there was the slim possibility that the boy could actually play go, but what were the chances that he would be able to beat every single one of the players, even if he could play some go?

Something struck his as odd about the boy's attitude. It wasn't one of an overly cocky child, who boasted about his own abilities with no skill to back it up. It was the aura of a real go player, though to be able to beat everyone..."Say, you're not an insei, are you?" The man eyed the boy speculatively.

HIkaru gave back an odd smile, one that made the owner think he was holding back information, or at least smiling to himself at an inside joke. There was no malice, however, when the teen replied, "No, I'm not an insei."

"Fine. Are you sure?" the owner asked.

"Yeah, we're pretty good," another man said. By now, a small crowd of people had gathered to watch the interesting conversation between the owner of the go salon and the unlikely visitor.

The smile that the boy gave was completely sincere, and stunningly bright when he replied, "Yes. My name is Shindou Hikaru, and I would love to play with you guys."

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

Hong Suyon sighed softly as he walked down the street. He was in Japan for a special group hosting a gathering of young go players from all over Asia under 18, and was urged to go to Japan by his relatives and friends, despite his rather vehement protests when he found out Yeongha wouldn't be going. After all, there wasn't much that he could do in Japan, and even though he had learned the language before the Hokuto Cup in hopes of meeting Shindou Hikaru again, his understanding of the language was only enough to get by.

Thinking of Shindou, Suyon sighed again. The circumstances surrounding the blond banged teen's disappearance was very mysterious, and sent Japan's go world, as well as his Korean friends into uproar. Rumor had it that even his family and friends didn't know where the go pro was. Suyon had visited Japan for a month after he heard of Shindou vanishing, with Yeongha at his side. Both were rather surprised at Shindou's sudden retreat from the world he loved, and made the decision to come to Japan and investigate, if only for a little while.

They emerged from their search empty handed, and the frustrated duo had headed back to Korea. Suyon knew that Yeongha still skimmed over the news of Japan's pro go world, in hopes of maybe finding some news about the very elusive mystery behind the rival he had met during the Hokuto Cup, however short their meeting was.

Scowling slightly at the unpleasant memories, Suyon decided to eat at the small sushi shop in the street he had turned into. 'I'm going back to Korea in a couple days,' Suyon reasoned, 'so I might as well enjoy some Japanese cuisine and stop brooding.'

Feeling strangely not hungry, though he had skipped breakfast in the morning, the fourteen year old boy was about to walk into the small sushi shop when he noticed the go salon nestled behind it, in the alley. Deciding that he might as well eat later if he wasn't hungry yet, Hong Suyon descended the steps to the go salon, unknowing of the fact that this simple choice would make him the third person to know that Shindou Hikaru was back in action.

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

"Thank you for the game," Hikaru chorused, smiling happily. He was the only one smiling, though. The rest of the members of the go salon were staring at him in an incredulous silence. That was the last person in the salon that Hikaru won against, the owner himself. As Hikaru had beat more and more members of the salon, an aura of awe seemed to permeate the air, directed by the crowd observing.

Even as the bell signifying that a new customer had come in through the door, the occupants of the room stared at the visitor in a stunned silence. "That was a lot of fun! Thanks, everyone!" Hikaru seemed oblivious to the air of wide-eyed reveling that he was being subjected to.

"Who are you?" the owner asked Hikaru reverently.

"I'm HIkaru," Hikaru replied, looking confused.

The small gasp towards the front door was drowned out by a barrage of questions.

"Why aren't you an insei, if you're this good?"

"You can even be a pro!"

"Why are you here playing old geezers like us?"

Hikaru smiled innocently. "No reason. And you aren't old geezers...yet."

Ignoring a couple of glares that held no malice, Hikaru grinned. "Thanks for the game. I'm getting a bit hungry, and my friends will be worried if I don't get back soon. And...uh...I'll come back, maybe, but don't mention anything about me, okay?"

"Hikaru? Shindou Hikaru?"

The blond banged teen froze at the familiar sounding voice. "No...my name is...uh...gotta run!" Hikaru burst out the door, dodging a pair of lithe arms that reached out to grab him.

"You! Shindou! Come back! You're going to tell me where you've been the last two years!" Suyon yelled in slightly accented Japanese.

"Do you know him?" the owner asked the Korean pro.

"That's Shindou!" Suyon yelled back, caught up in a rush of emotions. "He disappeared from the go world two years ago. He's a pro!" Suyon rushed out the door, and left a group of very surprised adults behind him.

"That was an interesting morning," a man commented wryly, as he watched a promising young man leave their little go salon.

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

"Let go!" Hikaru yelled, desperately trying to get away from the other teen. "I don't know you, so stop accosting me!"

Suyon stared at the older boy incredulously. "Shindou. You have bright blond bangs, and even wearing that cap and those clothes don't disguise you much, especially since I know your name and what you look like!"

"No you don't!" Hikaru protested, ignoring the fact that the points Suyon made were completely valid and very reasonable.

The Korean pro resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the teen two years older than him. Not that Hikaru really acted like he was older..."Tell me what's going on!"

"No!" Hikaru shot back, frowning. 'What were the chances that I would meet someone who isn't even supposed to be in the country right now?'

"...why are you even in Japan right now anyways?" Hikaru asked.

"Why are you walking around casually and visiting go salons when the go world is looking for you?" Suyon shot back. "I want an explanation! Yeongha and I came to Japan and looked for you when we first heard you disappeared, but we were never able to find any mention of you, even though we scoured much of Japan for any trace you might've left behind."

Hikaru sighed. "Do you really want an explanation that bad? And let go of my wrist."

"Yes! And only if you're not going to bolt or something."

"I'm not. Let's go talk about this somewhere else," Hikaru answered reluctantly. "People are starting to stare at us."

And HIkaru was right. People were starting to stare suspiciously at the duo that was having the unusual conversation on the sidewalk. In fact, mothers were starting to pull their young children protectively away from the explosive pair.

Suyon felt a migraine coming on. "Fine. Did you have lunch yet? We could go get sushi or something...I was planning on going to the sushi shop behind us, but I saw the go salon."

'It figured, that everyone would find me with links to go,' Hikaru thought to himself frustrated. 'But it's not like I'm able to just give up go, especially now that it's right in my reach...it's not like when I was in the country, with no transportation and always feeling tired anyways. Speaking of tired, I wonder why I'm feeling so energetic lately...' Hikaru was snapped out of his thoughts by Suyon's voice.

"Are you coming?"

"Yes, yes. Let me call Akira, he'll probably end up looking for me and not finding me in my apartment, and even though we didn't agree on eating lunch together, he'll completely blow a fuse." Hikaru smiled fondly despite his words.

Suyon paused. "Akira? As in...Touya Akira? What?" The younger teen began mumbling in some sort of language that Hikaru didn't understand, words flowing rapidly.

"Um, Suyon?"

"You mean Touya knew where you were the whole time and never bothered to tell anyone of the people searching for you?" Suyon yelled.

"Shh..." Hikaru winced, feeling like he was digging himself into a deeper and deeper hole. "Uh, he's not really supposed to know either, but he ended up tracking my IP address after he found a NetGo player that seemed to play a lot like me...which is totally illegal, so don't tell anyone...Anyways...go find us a table, I'm going to call him."

Ignoring the fact that Suyon was glaring at him, Hikaru quickly tucked himself into a niche in the alley, and pulled out the cell phone that Akira had given him for 'emergencies' when he was still living in the country. Hikaru had glared at him for spending money on something that Hikaru didn't even need, but Akira had glared back, equally obstinate, and told him that his safety wasn't a frivolous matter.

Dialing, Hikaru waited.

"Hikaru? Is something wrong? Where are you? Do you need help?" Akira's voice rushed out in a hurry.

Hikaru smiled softly at his friend's concern. Though he found Akira's overprotectiveness a bit amusing at times, it was also very endearing. "I'm fine, Akira. Calm down. Did I interrupt anything?"

"Ah? No, it's nothing. I have a bit of a break until the match continues."

"You have a match? I thought that it was only a couple tutoring games in the morning?"

"The Institute called me and asked me to participate in something last minute," Akira explained. "I was going to go to your apartment, but I ended up in the Institute instead. Are you all right? I can come back, if you'd like."

"No! It's perfectly fine, just go finish your match. I just wanted to let you know that I met...ah, someone unexpected–" Here Hikaru ignored Suyon's indignant stare. "–so I won't be going back for a bit. I left a note for Sai, in case he gets home before me, but I wanted to make sure you wouldn't freak when you saw I was gone."

Ignoring Akira's protests that he wouldn't "freak", Hikaru said goodbye before hanging up.

Suyon frowned at him. "Someone unexpected? You can't have just walked onto the street where half the people in the city are looking for you and expected to be unrecognized, right?"

When Hikaru didn't reply, Suyon sighed. 'Of course he did. He's Shindou Hikaru, after all.'

"Want to get sushi now?" the Korean pro asked.

Hikaru nodded, looking a bit absentminded. "You sure you want to talk to me about this? Why not about...flowers?"

"Flowers?" Suyon raised an eyebrow.

"Or...how you can speak Japanese!"

"I think I'd rather know why in the world you disappeared for two years," Suyon replied as he held open the door to the small sushi shop.

"Do we have to?" Hikaru trailed off.

Meeting an expectant stare, HIkaru sighed. "I suppose that's a yes, then."

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

"And so that's that," Hikaru finished, fiddling with his chopsticks. He had finished telling Suyon his story, though he had omitted the part about Sai, and his illness, which was probably the most important parts of the story. That, and some other things that were more important than even those two issues...but that was something Suyon didn't need to know.

"Huh. So you ran away from the go world because you, who loved go enough to sneak into a go salon and hope no one would see you, were tired of go?" Hong Suyon's voice began elevating in volume, and Hikaru winced.

"The restaurant's going to be staring at us if you don't stop yelling."

"I'm not yelling," Suyon muttered. "I can just imagine the look on Yeongha's face when I tell him that you decided to drop out of the go world because you were _bored_. I don't believe that. That's just bu–"

"Child friendly restaurant here," Hikaru reminded him. "And there's no need to tell Ko Yeongha, is there?"

"He came with me to look for you, I think that he'd be interested int eh fact that I found you lounging around in a go salon while there are still people searching for you frequently," Suyon said.

Hikaru winced. "What were the chances that someone who wasn't even supposed to be in Japan went to the same go salon during the same time I did?"

Suyon just sighed. And this boy was supposed to be two years older than him... "Well, I have a feeling that you should be expecting a visit from an irate Yeongha soon."

"Aw," Hikaru groaned. "Just what I need. Akira's going to kill me."

"Why?" Suyon asked curiously.

"He seems to be worried that too many people are finding me, and claims that I have a penchant for trouble, even though he was the one that dragged me out of hiding...Anyways, it was nice to meet you, though I would've preferred that the fewer people who know where I am the better...can't be helped. It was nice to see you again, Suyon," Hikaru said as he stood up.

Suyon nodded. "Same here. Do me a favor and let me know if you decide to vanish again, okay?"

The blond banged teen didn't reply, but rather just smiled back at the other boy. "Thanks. See ya!"

Hikaru dropped some money onto the table and was out of the sushi shop before Suyon could say anything. Rolling his eyes in an out of characteristic manner, Suyon sighed once again before making his way back to his hotel room. He would have lots of news to tell Yeongha, and Suyon had a feeling that the older boy would be making a visit to Japan soon. 'I'd better go lengthen my reservation to the hotel later...somehow I think my 'vacation to Japan is going to last a whole lot longer than I thought it would.'

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

Hikaru sighed as he sunk into the wall of his room and onto the futon. The day had been stressing for him, though it was interesting to say in the least. He definitely enjoyed the trip to the go salon, and to be able to talk with Hong Suyon was nice, but the almost interrogation of sorts was a bit fraying on his nerves.

Rubbing at his eyes wearily, Hikaru paused when he heard keys rattle in the doorknob. Groaning, Hikaru pulled himself up, figuring that either Sai or Akira would be at the door. Blinking the tiredness out of his emerald eyes, Hikaru met both Sai and Akira at the door.

"How did everything go?" Hikaru asked.

He could feel Sai observing him carefully, but Akira was the one to answer, "Well enough. Who did you meet? Did everything go all right?"

"Same here. It was Hong Suyon, actually."

"Ah," Akira answered, staring absentmindedly at an invisible spot on the wall. "He must be here for the competition that was held yesterday..."

"You didn't participate, Akira?" Hikaru asked, curious.

"I had another match that would have clashed with the competition times, so I declined," Akira replied. "Why are you even out anyways? And the way you're dressing isn't exactly unnoticeable, despite what you may think."

Hikaru scowled playfully. "I was getting bored...and how was I supposed to know that Suyon would just happen to walk into the go salon in the middle of nowhere–not the one I went to the first time, mind you–especially since he's supposed to be in Korea!"

Akira just shook his head. "Did you eat yet?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. We ended up having one of the most hassling conversations of my life over sushi," Hikaru grinned wryly. "Sai, you crushed the poor soul that you went up against in the pro prelims, right?"

"Hikaru, that wasn't nice! I didn't crush my opponent...anyways, it was your fault that all those reporters came after me with cameras! They wouldn't leave me alone, and the people in charge of the exams even had to threaten to call the police to get the mob to go away! I had to sneak out the back door to get away!" Sai pouted.

Hikaru burst out laughing, and even Akira couldn't suppress a smile. "Well then, sorry. Didn't mean to get people to mob you."

"Didn't mean to?" Sai mock-glared. "Your note cause enough of an uproar as it was!"

Hikaru just smiled at him. "I'm feeling a bit tired, I think I'll go take a bit of a nap. I think there's some food in the fridge if either of you are hungry." Flashing a quick smile at the two behind him, Hikaru left the room, in the direction of the bedroom.

The two men stared after HIkaru worriedly, but neither said a word.

After making sure that HIkaru was out of hearing, Akira suggested to Sai, "Let's go and discuss this somewhere else. I think we should get the whole story about his illness out of either HIkaru or his doctor later. As much as some of this makes me feel like I'm betraying Hikaru's trust, I really think that we should do something about this...he's not letting us know how to help him." The last line was muttered almost desperately, and Sai merely nodded, surprisingly impassive as the two of them headed up to the rooftop to discuss the findings that they had made separately during the day, and discussed fleetingly when they met up earlier on today.

And even though both of them felt slightly guilty for going behind Hikaru's back and finding their own information, both knew that Hikaru would give no more information about his health unless he was urged further. Though going directly to the doctor was a method that would likely fail because of the patient-doctor confidentiality rule, both Sai and Akira felt driven up against a wall, with no information about what was ailing the person they cared the most about.

"What did you say you found about Guillain Barre Syndrome, Touya-kun?" Sai inquired quietly as they climbed the short flight of stairs up to the roof. Akira sighed softly to himself, and together they began piecing together the research that they did after their respective matches.

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Holding a hand up to his temples, Hikaru groaned. The light numbness in his legs that had gone away moments after he woke up in the morning seemed to come back with a vengeance. He had heard to door close gently after a few murmured words between Sai and Akira, but he had been to busy trying not to topple over to listen carefully. Perhaps it was the running around all day that had made him feel all dizzy and tired, but it was undoubtable that he was tired and achy all over.

'Maybe I _should_ go fill that prescription for painkillers...it seems that the numbness and pains and needles feeling Is coming back in short spurts. Nothing really to worry about, but Sai, and Akira especially will be completely overprotective and worried if they found out that I was having even the slightest trouble with my health, despite the fact that they know what's going on. Though, they don't, actually," Hikaru thought. 'They both know about the sort of GBS-like symptoms, but it's not like they really know what GBS is, so there's not that much to worry about...unless Akira goes and does more research...I'm tired...' Hikaru felt his mind start to drift from lack of sleep.

'Well, I had spent the past few nights tossing and turning, but I shouldn't feel this tired...," was Hikaru's last thought before everything seemed to fade into a comforting black. 'Ah, a few minutes of shuteye won't hurt...'

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**Finished! You know, I've noticed that I've been updating with every ten reviews...so that's my goal! A new chapter with every ten reviews...until I saw the thirty-first and decided to get down to business and finish it. Thanks for all of the support, everyone! It really helps me get down and write when otherwise I would be drifting around and reading fanfiction. Please do keep up the feedback, I love hearing from all of you! Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy this installment, and how the story is progressing! **


	5. Chapter 5

"Why won't Hikaru tell us anything?" Sai heard Akira whisper a bit brokenly. "We had to find out all of that horrible information from such an impersonal source, and though this has to be affecting Hikaru in some from at least, he won't tell us anything."

The younger man had was propping himself up on the railing of the building on the edge of the roof, with his hands clasped together and aquamarine eyes staring into the distance.

Sai frowned. "You know Hikaru. He always seem so...strong, I suppose. I believe that he doesn't want to worry us, and in his haste to ensure that we aren't bothered by him in any way, he's been shutting us, along with everyone else, out."

Akira sighed. "He's an idiot."

"That I would have to agree on," Sai answered, showing a hint of a smile. "We should go back."

"I want to confront him about the information that the two of us have gathered," Akira said abruptly. "I don't want to push him, at least until we're sure that his actions are detrimental to his health. But I do want to let him know that we're here for him, no matter what happens."

Sai nodded. "I am not sure how he will react, but I suppose that this is the only available route we can take, besides ignoring this whole situation, which is no help at all."

Akira replied, "I'll ask after dinner then." Then, more determinedly, he continued, "I'll get to the bottom of this. He needs to know that he's not alone, and that we care about him."

The two fell into a compatible silence, watching the horizon as the sun began to set.

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

Hong Suyon sighed. As certain as he was that Ko Yeongha definitely deserved to know about Shindou and Suyon's sudden sighting of the teen two years after he disappeared in a go salon in the middle of nowhere of all places, he couldn't help but be a bit nervous at the reaction his older friend would undoubtably show.

Which was the reason he had delayed the phone call until postponing his return to Korea and only until hours before he was scheduled to have originally arrived back home. Yeongha was supposed to meet him at the airport, and Suyon had a feeling that finding Suyon missing and still in Japan when arriving at the airport was probably not a good idea to begin his story with.

Even now, the Korean pro had sat there for several hours, staring dejectedly at his phone. 'Why could Shindou have been the one to call Yeongha? Then he would've been the one yelled at...' Suyon lamented.

Sighing, Suyon dialed Yeongha's number, before meekly bringing the phone up to his ear. He listened to several dial tones before his older friend's voice came onto the line.

"Suyon?" Yeongha said in their native tongue. "I'm getting dressed, and on my way. Did you plane arrive early?"

There was some silence, before Yeongha asked again, "Suyon?"

"Um...you might want to forget going to the airport," Suyon suggested, voice softly murmuring the words of the Korean language.

Ko Yeongha's voice became suddenly brash and anxious. "Are you all right? Did you miss your flight? Is the plane in trouble or something like that?"

"What?" Suyon asked. "No, no. It's just...I've met someone unexpected, and I think it'd be best if you're the one that packs and boards a plane."

"Why?" Yeongha inquired suspiciously. "Is something the matter? Did something happen to Touya or something like that?"

"No...," Suyon trailed off.

"Well what's the matter? Don't leave me hanging here," Yeongha snapped.

Suyon barely managed to suppress a flinch. As if noticing that, even though they couldn't see each other over the phone, the other boy paused, and asked in a softer tone, "Are you all right?"

"Yes," Suyon decided to just get the whole thing over with. "I saw Shindou Hikaru in a go salon while in Japan some time ago, and I thought that you'd probably want to visit Japan for a bit."

"What?" Yeongha yelled.

Okay, perhaps that wasn't one of Suyon's best ideas. "I didn't really get much information out of him, but I figured that you'd want to come and...greet him yourself."

"Oh, you bet I do," Yeongha muttered. "I'll be on the next flight over. You're staying at the same hotel room, right?"

Suyon nodded before remembering that Yeongha wouldn't see him over the phone. "Yes. Room 517."

"Fine. See you in a couple hours." The other teen hung up abruptly.

"That...probably wasn't the best way to handle this," Suyon sighed to himself. "Oh well...I warned Shindou that he would most likely get a visit from a mad Yeongha soon." The younger boy could practically feel the waves of anger and frustration coming from the elder, even through the mechanical appliance called a phone.

'It's handy that Yeongha now knows Japanese...even if it is a bit choppy. Wouldn't want another huge misunderstanding...again.'

With that ordeal over with, Hong Suyon laid back down onto his bed, and chose to pass the next few hours before the chaos Ko Yeongha would bring with his arrival in peace and silence.

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

"Hikaru~!" Sai whined immediately after he walked back into the room with Touya-kun and noticed the smell of food wafting throughout the apartment. "I thought you were going to bed?"

"I felt bored, so I decided to make us some dinner," Hikaru shrugged, stirring whatever was in the pot carefully. "Besides, that was hours ago. Where did you and Akira go?"

"We were on the roof," Akira answered. "Are you sure you're not tired anymore?"

Hikaru nodded, turning back to the stove. "Yup. I feel much better. Though, for some reason, I have a feeling that things are going to get much more interesting soon...Suyon's words about how I should be expecting an irate Ko Yeongha keep ringing in my head."

He smirked. "Then again, Suyon sounded just at surprised when I let it slip that you knew where I was for over a year. I think you should expect some of your fair share of irritation."

Akira sighed.

"Who is this Yeongha?" Sai questioned, looking confused. "Is he a friend of that Korean boy, Hong Suyon?"

"Oh, I forgot that you didn't know!" Hikaru exclaimed. "Sorry."

"It is of no consequence," Sai answered.

"Ko Yeongha was one of Korea's representatives for the Hokuto Cup two years back, the team matches between Korea, China, and Japan for pros under eighteen," Akira explained. "Hong Suyon made his entrance into the pro career too, and he came to Japan with Yeongha and their other teammate and...teacher, I suppose, of sorts."

"Wah! Hong Suyon is a pro now!" Sai smiled.

Hikaru grinned back. "He is. Anyways, we...sort of got off on a bad start, Yeongha and I. It wasn't until Suyon explained everything thoroughly that I finally understood. Not that I forgive him entirely," Hikaru muttered the last line, a bit darkly.

"Why is that?" Sai inquired, looking very innocently befuddled. "You're not normally one to dislike people at first sight."

"No reason," Hikaru muttered, a soft pink blush forming on his cheeks.

Sai stared at the blond banged teen curiously, but it was Akira that answered his unspoken question. "Hikaru's first impression of Yeongha is that of him insulting Honinbo Shuusaku. At least, apparently insulting him. His real words were really much more different, but Suyon told us that the Japanese/Korean translator was apparently a bit lacking. That, and Yeongha's personality seems a lot like Hikaru's."

Akira ignored HIkaru's heated glare.

"He literally poured fuel on the fire that was Hikaru, and announced that Shuusaku was weak in front of Japan," Akira explained. "We later found out that it was because he had wanted Hikaru to play with the passion he showed in defending Shuusaku, but it didn't really look that way with the way he was acting."

"That stuck up–" Hikaru was interrupted.

"It didn't really help Hikaru's mood when he lost to Yeongha by half a moku during the Hokuto Cup matches between Japan and Korea," Akira added in quickly.

"I still want a rematch. He's going down the next time," Hikaru glared at a perfectly innocent spoon.

Sai beamed, and threw himself around Hikaru's neck, surprising the teen that was cooking. "Gah! Sai, this is a stove! It's hot, don't surprise me like that!"

"You defended Torajirou and myself!" the man exclaimed happily.

"Sure, sure," Hikaru answered, inwardly smiling.

Akira felt like rolling his eyes at the sappy response that Sai, supposed saint of the go world, gave. "Wait...you said Ko Yeongha is coming to Japan?"

"That's what Suyon said...he told me to be prepared for a very, very mad Yeongha," Hikaru answered. He turned the stove off, and began ladling the warm pottage into three bowls.

"Great," Akira sighed, staring absentmindedly at the wall. "Just what we needed."

"Hey, you were the one that decided to drag me out of my comfortable home and into the middle of a bustling city in which everyone knows who I am!" Hikaru protested.

"I wasn't expecting you to walk freely onto the street when you were so against the idea in the first place!" Akira shot back immediately.

"Are you saying this is my fault?"

"Yes!"

"No it isn't!"

"Yes it is!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

Sai smiled. "Let's have dinner, shall we?"

"Be quiet!" the two snapped at him in unison before coming to their senses.

"Ah...sorry," Hikaru apologized, Akira nodding in agreement.

Sai simply continued smiling, and answered, "It's no problem. Let's eat."

Hikaru nodded, before reaching into the fridge and pullng out several small cans. "Let's see...I have enoki mushroom toppings, bamboo shoots, and other things that you can have with the pottage," Hikaru offered. He grabbed a few sets of chopsticks before picking up a can opener and asking the other two men, "Can you grab those bowls?"

Akira nodded, and took two, with Sai bringing the remaining one. Hikaru finished opening the little cans, and set them onto the table. There wasn't really anything fancy, but it had a tidy and home-like feel to it.

The trio ate in a comfortable sort of silence, but Akira couldn't help but notice that Hikaru wasn't really eating so much as moving the small amount of food he had ladled for himself around his bowl.

Keeping note of the action, he reminded himself that it was best to let Hikaru eat as much as he could before he brought up the difficult conversation topic that he soon would.

And true to his word, Akira confronted HIkaru after the three of them had cleaned up, and were lounging on various pieces of furniture inside the big room that served as a bedroom for Sai and Hikaru, and more often than not, Akira.

"You know, I think you might as well move in, from the amount of time that you've been spending here," Hikaru began. "Or at least, pack some of your clothes so that you don't have to sleep in something uncomfortable or in my t-shirts when you do stay over."

Akira replied, "I'm not sure how my parents will take it, the news that I'm suddenly moving out. Besides, we're technically not legal yet. I...pulled a few strings to get this apartment, and it helps that Sai is definitely over eighteen, no matter how you look at it. I might consider the offer though, I suppose. Thank you."

Hikaru merely nodded, and said, "So, what's on your mind?"

Or rather, Hikaru confronted Akira about his odd behavior. Akira hadn't managed to work up his courage to talk to his friend quite yet, and Hikaru had beat him to it.

"Hah? Nothing much...," Akira answered nervously. 'I'm not ready yet!' his mind screamed loudly.

Hikaru smirked. "You've been tapping you fingers nervously for the past hour, and constantly running your other hand through your now extremely ruffled bangs. That, and you've been glancing at me every five seconds."

Akira felt like groaning. "Is it really so obvious?" he asked, sounding a bit helpless.

Hikaru merely laughed. "Yup," he said brightly. "Now, what is it that's bothering you?"

"I...I...," Akira stammered uncharacteristically.

"There isn't anything that you can't talk to me about," Hikaru said seriously, losing the smile for a moment. "Trust me, Akira, whether or not I like what you want to discuss, there's no reason to be afraid to tell me anything."

Sai watched from the side carefully as Akira scowled. "That's the whole problem. You should know that applies to you too, but you aren't telling me the whole story."

Hikaru froze. Laughing nervously, he replied, "There's nothing really much to it," as he immediately caught the gist of what Akira wanted to talk about.

"Yes there is! I looked up GBS, and it is not something you can just ignore! The symptoms alone...," Akira trailed off worriedly.

Sai noticed that upon confronting his heated friend, all of Touya Akira's careful plans and calculations seemed to fail him. "What Touya-kun means is that you need to know that we're here for you. We want to have you feel comfortable enough to tell us, to know that we'll be here for you no matter what."

Hikaru sighed. 'That's the problem,' he muttered to himself mentally. "There's really not that much to discuss if you already know what's going on. Besides, it's just like GBS; my illness, I mean. It's not really, though the symptoms seem to occurring in that sort of pattern, things are different enough that it can't be classified as GBS."

"Either way, Hikaru, you're supposed to get help!" Akira exclaimed heatedly. "You can't just sit at home and wait for it to get better! You know it won't!"

'And that was the frightening part,' Akira mused. 'He can't just sit and home and think we'll allow him to just...,' he refused to even think of that horrid possibility.

"I'm fine," Hikaru claimed, clearly wanting to dismiss the thought altogether.

"Hikaru!" Akira yelled, glaring at his friend. "If you won't tell me what's going on so I can help you, I'm going to go break into the hospital and kidnap your physician!"

Hikaru rolled his eyes. "Don't you think you're being too overly dramatic?"

"I'm serious."

The semi-blond sighed. "I'm telling you, I'm perfectly fine."

"Hikaru!"

Hikaru glared back sullenly. "What is it that you want to know so badly?"

"I want to know why you're sitting at home when you should clearly be receiving treatment!" Akira had finally lost the last of his patience.

"Too bad," the other teen scowled. "I'm not telling you!"

"Hikaru!"

The semi-blond huffed in annoyance, and stormed out of the room angrily. Akira moved to follow him, but Sai held out a hand to stop him. "Let him cool down. He'll let you know what's going on when he comes to realize that you just want to help him, and you aren't just being spiteful."

Touya sighed, but made no further move to follow Hikaru, staring after him with sad eyes instead.

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

Hikaru fumed, tossing himself onto his futon as he slammed (or, at least, wanted to slam; he had a traditional sliding door, and it was impossible to slam one of those) the door shut.

Sure, he definitely did understand Akira's point of view, but it didn't mean that he had to like it. Everything that the other teen was doing was interrupting his effort to try and keep both Sai and Akira sheltered from his personal problems.

The semi-blond sighed. As much as he did know what Akira was trying to do, as well as Sai, and he knew that he would have done the same or at least something similar (Hikaru had a feeling that Akira was just bluffing about the breaking and entering of the hospital; if it was him, he would've actually done so), didn't mean that he had to like it.

Scowling, he muffled his face into his sheets. 'There's no reason to bother him with my own dilemmas,' Hikaru thought. 'I'm perfectly fine...'

While Hikaru knew well enough that he was not, in fact, personally fine (along with anyone that knew and wasn't completely oblivious), didn't mean that he had to agree with Akira's course of action.

'Okay, perhaps he didn't do anything that I wouldn't have done,' Hikaru mused. 'But he doesn't need to know...'

One thing about arguing with himself about Akira was that Hikaru was sure that he would've done what Akira did, even if it was frustrating to come to that conclusion. Either way, it was almost never productive and ended up with him giving in and agreeing with Akira anyways, he sulked. Not that it wasn't a double-edged sword: Akira would often do the same.

Sighing, he turned onto his side. Ignoring some lingering numbness, Hikaru stared blankly at the ceiling. 'I'll have to go out and confront him sooner or later,' Hikaru groaned internally. 'This is very frustrating, having someone have such a similar course of thoughts as you...,' HIkaru noticed.

Heaving yet another sigh, Hikaru stood up, stumbling slightly as he did so. Scowling furiously at the floor, he went back into the dining room to find both Akira and Sai sitting there patiently.

"You know, you guys could at least have the decency to pretend that you didn't know I'd be back here in a couple minutes," Hikaru muttered.

Akira merely stood up, and neatly set a hand on his shoulder. "Are you all right?"

Hikaru nodded, and smiled weakly. "Yup. Now, we're going to discuss this like adults...or at the very least, civilized people. You'll ask questions, and I'll answer them. Okay?"

Akira blinked at Hikaru's surprisingly open solution. "So...you aren't going to protest all of my questions?"

Hikaru didn't answer, and Akira had a good feeling that he wasn't going to like any response his friend would give.

"What's going on? How is whatever troubling you different from GBS?" Akira set off, determined.

"Pass."

"What?" Akira felt a headache coming on, and began glaring again.

"What? I said I would answer, didn't I?"

Sai sighed. "I do believe that Touya-kun means answering as in actually giving something helpful, and not just 'pass', Hikaru."

Hikaru scowled as an answer. "I gave a reply..."

Akira glared.

"Your eyes are going to get stuck like that if you keep glaring," Hikaru commented offhandedly.

The glare didn't really improve. "Stop being so...stubborn, and tell me what's going on!"

Hikaru sighed. "...the symptoms are presenting themselves in a different order. That, and, as you've noticed, by the glares you've been giving me at mealtimes, Akira, a loss of appetite. General fatigue...," Hikaru trailed off, seemingly disconnected. "There's a high chance that the treatment for GBS wouldn't work on whatever's bugging my anyways, so the doctors wanted to prod and poke me with needles, of all things. I refused, and left. Simple."

"That's not simple at all!" Akira frowned. "So there's nothing else different?"

Judging from Akira's tone of voice, Hikaru knew what he wanted to be different. "No," Hikaru answered firmly. "Though, although no one can really stand up for this, they–the doctors, I mean–speculate that given the attack rate, I'll probably have longer."

He shrugged nonchalantly, and Akira felt like strangling the semi-blond. From the look that Fujiwara no Sai now sported as well, it was clear he wasn't the only one.

"Hikaru!" the man finally spoke up, his stony calmness finally leaving him. "Hikaru, tell me what's going on...," he whispered.

Hikaru sighed, feeling the day's stress piling up on him. "It's just like I explained. I've already gotten over it, pretty much, and there's not much that I can do."

Akira had a sneaking suspicion that there was more to it than this, but since Hikaru wasn't willing to give anymore information...it almost seemed as if the teen was content with this, for some odd reason.

And he voiced his opinions, of course.

"How can you be some completely calm about this when I'm so hassled, and _freaking out_, as you so eloquently put it?"

His response was yet another shrug.

"Hikaru...," Akira heard Sai murmured sadly, wistfully. "Why would kami-sama have let me return if you're just going to leave me?"

Hikaru's emerald eyes softened a degree from the cool indifference he was displaying. "I'm sure there's a reason. Besides, I'm not just going to drop dead one day."

The joke didn't go by very well with the two men.

"Hikaru!" they both yelled at him, and the aforementioned teen couldn't help but compare their similar personalities, contrasting them at the same time.

"Seriously, I'm fine."

"You're not a licensed medical practitioner," Akira glared. "I'm dragging you to a hospital tomorrow and canceling whatever else is on my schedule."

"There's no need to visit a _doctor_, again!" Hikaru glared right back, with his personal detest for the healing medics of the world. "Besides, the Go Institute is going to get really mad at you if you keep canceling stuff like this."

"I would think this is more important!" Akira practically screamed. Practically, because Touya Akira would never scream literally, of course.

Hikaru scowled. "No it isn't."

"Yes it is!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

Sai wondered how anyone was able to stand spending time with both of them, with them clashing in every possible manner and form. Either that, or thinking so similarly that they didn't need to voice aloud their thoughts to understand each other.

Guiltily, Sai felt a tinge of jealousy.

Regardless of what he felt though, it was probably time to get them to stop yelling. "Hikaru! Touya-kun."

The pair blinked.

"Ah...what were we arguing about again?" Hikaru asked, emerald eyes wide with innocence. "I know, let's play go!" Perfectly feigned innocence, that is.

Akira fumed, and yelled back, "Don't think you can distract me with just that! Go isn't the answer to every single problem on earth, you know, however nice that would be."

Sai sweatdropped.

"What's wrong with playing go?" Hikaru retorted, looking incredibly childish and innocent.

"Don't mess with me! I'm dragging you to the hospital tomorrow no matter what happens! How else am I supposed to know what's going on, since you won't directly tell me? And how will I know that you really went?" Akira glared.

Hikaru paused. "You could...go on a day that you don't have to attend a match or a teaching game or something like that. I don't need to go to a hospital _now_."

From Akira's continuing glare, Hikaru had a feeling that the other boy begged to differ.

The phone rang, startling them, as neither Hikaru nor Akira, and definitely not Sai, had given the number to anyone besides the Touyas. That only because Akira's parents often received calls from their son telling them that he could probably spent the night at HIkaru's apartment.

Hikaru stared suspiciously at the phone, before standing up and picking it up, feigning a horridly inaccurate voice, "Miyami residence."

"Shindou!" all the members of the room heard the explosive shout from the room.

Hikaru blinked dazedly. "You sound familiar...I mean, ahem, Miyami residence does not know a Shindou. You must have the wrong number." Moving quickly to hang up the phone, Hikaru grimaced as the voice began yelling loud enough to be heard across the room even without speaker phone.

"SHINDOU! Hang up and I will personally track you down and slaughter you!"

Hikaru sighed, slowly bringing to phone back up to his ear, though closely outside of the normal proximity for talking on the phone. "Whose speaking?"

"You know perfectly well whose speaking you...you...Suyon! What does–" a word Hikaru couldn't understand was spat in Korean, and Akira could practically hear Suyon wince. As it was, he winced, since he had begun to practice the other Asian languages, since go was so popular in the other various countries, and inter-country tournaments were almost common after the spectacle of the Hokuto Cup, "–mean?"

Akira quickly stood up and took the phone from Hikaru's grasp, and said into it, "Touya Akira here. Is there anything you need?"

It appeared that Hong Suyon had done the same, for it was the younger boy that answered him. "Um...Yeongha has come to Japan after he heard some startling news–" Akira had no problem imagining what information that was, and who had given it. "–and we wish to meet up with Shindou."

Something resembling the call of, "And that idiot, who dared keep Shindou's presence a secret when he knew where that other idiot was too!" rang, muffled in the background.

Akira heard someone, most likely Suyon, sigh, before he continued. "If you would please come too, Touya-san."

Though he probably wasn't supposed to hear the rest of the sentence, Akira listened to a distinct, "We'll need it. Between Yeongha and Shindou..." The Japanese pro couldn't help but agree with Suyon.

Before Akira could respond, Hikaru snatched the phone from him. "Sure! How about tomorrow, at...ten, we can meet at that Go salon, the one your uncle owns?" Hikaru paused. "Great! Bye!"

Seconds after Hikaru hung up the phone, Akira exploded. "What do you think you're doing? We're taking you to that hospital tomorrow, remember?"

Hikaru let out a – horribly fake – gasp. "I completely forgot about that!"

Sai muffled a giggle, but couldn't help but let a smile escape.

"No you didn't! You're just taking advantage of the fact that I wouldn't cancel a prior engagement with someone, because that would be incredibly impolite! Well, to...forget impoliteness! I'm dragging you to a certified medical practitioner whether you like it or not!"

"Mou, Akira...you're too overprotective," Shindou complained.

Touya flushed crimson, before retorting, "I wouldn't have to be so protective if you would think about what in the world you're doing before you act!"

Hikaru rolled his eyes. "But that's boring!"

Akira glared.

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

The next morning, he was still glaring as he sat stiffly in a chair, with a goban between him and Hikaru. The semi-blond was once again in his astoundingly fake disguise, which Akira was firmly convinced was of no help whatsoever.

Sai was sitting next to Hikaru, and smiling happily at the goban as the two of them placed stones, having paid the standard fee, and were now waiting for the other part of their little gathering.

Despite Akira's greatest efforts, they ended up in the go salon instead of in front of a doctor. Hikaru had whined and wheedled until he finally agreed to the meeting, but only if they visited a clinic afterwards. The other boy wasn't exactly happy about the whole arrangement, but it was the one thing that Akira wouldn't yield on regarding Hikaru: the semi-blond's health.

And so the three of them were waiting in the go salon that Hikaru had first met Suyon in, where they had agreed to meet up. Surprisingly, though it was Yeongha and Suyon (Though most Yeongha) that had requested the meeting, the two Korean pros seemed to be running late, by a smudge.

Hikaru set down another stone with a soft 'pachi', just as the bell signaling another visitor sounded. Ignoring it, Akira stared at the board. "That's a completely ludicrous move. What can you do with that hand?"

The other teen scowled. "I can do plenty with that hand! What's ridiculous was your last hand! That left you completely open for any offense that I could think of on the left side!"

Akira scowled back, just as fiercely. "That was a completely valid move! And if you could've scrapped the came, as you say, then why didn't you?"

"That was so offending I decided to ignore it!" Hikaru shot back.

Sai looked at the two of them, and smiled. "The joys of rivalry!"

Both of the friends turned to glare at the older man.

"Shindou!" a voice that was unmistakably Ko Yeongha's rang through the room.

Hikaru turned to glare at the older boy. "You! This is all your fault!"

Akira felt a headache coming on. The animosity between the Korean boy and Hikaru hadn't just vanished with the end of the Hokuto Cup, though it had lessened a bit after Suyon had explained Yeongha's true meaning for his rude statement.

Hikaru couldn't completely forgive Yeongha for the rude remarks about Honinbo Shuusaku, or rather, as the semi-blond knew them, Torajiro and Fujiwara no Sai. And now, it seemed to Akira, after he was told the whole story, that Hikaru hadn't really gotten over the glimmer of dislike for the other boy.

"Me?" Yeongha shot back skeptically. "And what did I do?"

"Besides insult Sai?" Hikaru shot back without thinking.

"Insult who?"

"...Oops." Hikaru slapped his forehead.

"Neh, Hikaru?" Sai said.

"Yes?"

"How did this person insult me? Didn't he just walk into the door...a minute ago?"

"He said that you were weak!"

"I never said that!" Yeongha yelled back. "I said that Shuusaku was weak, and you know that wasn't for the reasons you initially believed!"

Standing by the side, Akira and Suyon were feeling quite helpless. "Hong-san?"

"Yes?"

"Ko-san is speaking Japanese?"

"Oh, um..." Suyon trailed off. "He sort of learned so he could yell at Shindou about his disappearance," he ended sheepishly.

"I see." Akira said.

"Well either way you insulted Shuusaku!" Sai watched, confused, as Hikaru and the unknown man indulged in a loud shouting match.

"Aren't we here to talk about the whole incident where you disappeared for two years?" Yeongha glared coolly at him, volume lowering at the sight of Suyon staring disapprovingly at him, and the rest of the salon's members also casting gazes.

"I want to talk about you calling Shuusaku weak! Play a game with him, Sai," Hikaru demanded.

"I think we may not want to do that, Hikaru...," Sai answered sensibly, despite being excited at the prospect of a game. "There are lots of people watching, and you never know who they might be." The last part was said in a whispered tone.

"Oh...fine." Hikaru paused, and thought before he made up his mind. He headed towards the door, exclaiming, "You guys can come to my apartment. I have a goban, and Sai, you are going to crush him!"

Akira had always wondered why Hikaru had been so fired up about being first board in the first Hokuto Cup, but from what he had experienced, he guessed why now. Sai was a very important person to his best friend, and any slight towards Sai, especially when the man was unable to fight back himself, Hikaru took as a heavy grievance.

Which also explained why Hikaru had been so upset when he lost to Yeongha by half a moku, and why Hikaru was so livid about having a match, mostly to defend Sai's honor. 'Though seeing Ko-san humiliated might be a plus for him,' Akira mused.

"Wahh!" Sai pouted as he was dragged out of the salon. "What are you doing, Hikaru?'

"Where are you going, Shindou? Get back here!" Yeongha yelled as he chased after the disappearing figures.

Akira and Suyon were left behind, and Akira couldn't help but agree when Suyon suggested, "We'd better go and join them, before they cause more destruction."

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

**Finished, just in time for Thanksgiving! For those that celebrate, Happy Thanksgiving! For those that don't...Happy Thursday, (: As always, thanks for reading, and please leave comments! **


	6. Chapter 6

Ko Yeongha stared, disbelievingly, at the goban in front of him. "Shuusaku..." he whispered, in awe, despite his usually arrogance and strong front.

"Thank you for the game," Sai murmured, keeping his eyes on the board. He was playing white, and therefore was awarded with a set komi of 5.5 moku. While he normally didn't play with komi when playing with Hikaru, the semi-blond was extremely adamant, for some reason, about adding komi to the game. As it was, though, Sai won by four moku originally, adding on the 5.5 moku komi, was a massive win of 9.5 moku.

Akira, who was sitting in seiza with Hikaru and Suyon at either side of him, rolled his eyes inconspicuously at Hikaru's proud beam, smiling ever so brightly at Sai's win. Suyon was also staring at the goban, eyes wide.

"Thank you," Yeongha echoed hollowly, still scrutinizing the board with a disbelieving gleam in his eyes.

"How?" Suyon croaked out, revering the man who managed to beat his friend and senpai (_upperclassman_) so thoroughly.

Ko Yeongha seemed to snap out of his trance, and immediately began questioning. "Who are you? Why do you have Shuusaku's style down so well? How do you know Shindou?"

Sai didn't say anything, but Hikaru muttered a soft, "Oops."

Akira sighed. 'Great. Just what I needed.'

"Well?" Yeongha asked impatiently.

"I am Fujiwara n – Sai," Sai answered. "I study To – Shuusaku's kifu a lot, so I am well versed in his plays. He is my...idol, I suppose."

Akira choked. 'Sai has been spending way too much time with Hikaru...if he can lie that well, with a straight face...oh, the implications.'

"As for how he met me," Hikaru quickly intercepted before everything could go down the drain, "Sai is my friend. And my mentor, sort of."

"This is your teacher?" Suyon questioned, awed.

"Hai," Hikaru smiled softly.

"That doesn't explain why Fujiwara's style is so impeccably Shuusaku's," Yeongha shot at Hikaru. "I've studied Shuusaku's kifu as well – don't look at me like that, Shuusaku is a genius, even among those out of Japan – and it's impossible to imitate anyone's playing style that perfectly."

"Well...," Hikaru trailed off.

"Sai is a prodigy, a genius," Akira interjected quickly.

Ignoring Sai's blush behind his fan, Hikaru continued, "That's true."

"Is this why Shindou was so fiercely upset when he heard about Yeongha supposedly insulting Shuusaku?" Suyon asked tentatively.

"What?" Sai asked, oblivious to the events of the Hokuto Cup.

"Oh, you didn't hear about that idiot and the Hokuto Cup," Hikaru said.

Akira winced at his lack of tact.

"Who are you calling an idiot, you–"

Suyon quickly muffled his older friend by throwing the pillow he was sitting on at Yeongha's face before the elder could curse.

"Hikaru!" Sai chided. "Calling people mean names is not good etiquette."

Hikaru pouted. "But he called Torajirou weak! That means he called–"

It was Akira's turn to throw a pillow.

The victim sputtered. Glaring at Akira, Hikaru continued more sedately, "It was his fault."

Sai immediately understood Hikaru's implications, and made a mental note to discover the complete story line after their guests left. "I'm sure he didn't mean to insult Shuusaku, if Ko-san has been studying his kifu."

Hikaru scowled childishly. "Don't take his side! He took advantage of the circumstances to rile me up, and ended up doing so anyways."

Yeongha glared. "Don't speak like I'm not here!"

"I'll say whatever I want!" Hikaru glared back sullenly.

Akira sighed. "So you are all satisfied with the outcome." He deliberately ignored the fact that probably no one was really content with how the events played out, except Hikaru, and Sai, who really had no idea what was going on besides the fact that he had a relatively strong opponent to play against, in favor of ending the argument and dragging his semi-blond friend to the hospital. "Hikaru has an appointment to attend to," here he ignored the loud outburst from said friend that loudly stated otherwise, "and I suggest that you should stay here with Fujiwara-san and relax."

It was a bit of a subtle dismissal, and Hong Suyon obviously caught it. "Thank you for your hospitality–" he began.

He was interrupted by Yeongha. "Hey! You're not going anywhere until you explain this whole situation thoroughly!"

Apparently subtlety was not one of Yeongha's strong suits, just like it was not one of Hikaru's.

Suyon winced, and hurriedly stood, tugging the older Korean's sleeve as he rose. "We can always meet another day, Yeongha, we should let Shindou get to his appointment."

"What appointment?" Yeongha stared at the person in mention. "What is it that's so important?"

"Nothing!" Hikaru declared loudly.

Akira softened a glare from his aquamarine eyes. It wouldn't do to glare at guests, even if they undid all the hard work he had spent into pleading, deceiving, coercing, and begging Hikaru to visit the physician for one afternoon.

Apparently Suyon noticed despite Akira's efforts to keep it otherwise, for the younger boy tugged more insistently at Yeongha's shirt. "We have other things to attend to as well," he said, shooting a glare at his senpai, daring him to say otherwise. "Thank you for everything."

Hikaru watched desperately as his only source of hope – no, his very welcome guests, rose to abandon him – no, leave their humble abode. Goodness, he was using all the wrong words today.

"See, I told you that Shuusaku was better than you!"

Akira raised an eyebrow skeptically at his diversion method. 'There is no way that will work. It's a direct barb towards Ko Yeongha, one that most people should know better than to take–"

"_What_ did you say?"

Well. It appeared that the Korean pro was definitely _not _someone that was normal, and even though most go players were eccentric, Yeongha seemed to take it to a new level.

And it appeared to Akira that Sai thought the same, for the older man was wearing a hilarious expression, one that even the go prodigy had to give a smile at.

"You heard me!" Hikaru shouted back.

"Do your fighting on the board!" Yeongha retorted. "Or are you too scared?" Such an insult was the perfect one to get Hikaru riled up, for the semi-blond was still sore over the older teen's half moku victory two years ago.

"Why you!" Hikaru glared. "Fine!" He slapped down the two goke (go stone holding bowls) and sulked. "Nigiri!"

Akira groaned, and though it was quiet, it was definitely audible, by the apologetic expression Hong Suyon had. 'Why me?' Akira asked whomever would listen, feeling ultimately dejected. A day of pleading and a few harsh words between Ko and Shindou had the two of them going at each other's throats, _again_.

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Akira was ready to slaughter. Normally that would be something that he would never, ever say, but Shindou Hikaru made a lot of firsts in Akira's word, from first time staying at a friend's house to first time raising his voice to first time threatening someone with death. Though that may not be such a good thing...Akira was glad to have Hikaru as a friend.

Most of the time.

Nine hours had passed, and Akira was starving, tired, and had a bleak headache from the yelling _still_ coming off Ko and Hikaru. Both Yeongha and Hikaru had opted out for dinner, so the other three dealt with some snacks that were around the house. Akira had even dragged out futons and extra blankets, but those two _idiots_ were still playing!

Even Sai had given up watching them, having slumped gracefully – an oxymoron at its best – to rest against the wall, looking on at the game from afar.

Suyon was huddled in fetal position, also against the wall, a blanket around his shoulders. It was two in the morning, and Akira was ready to blow a fuse.

If this was what anyone who observed the infamous Touya vs. Shindou matches felt, then Akira resolved to play more serene games with the other teen. Not that _that_ would ever happen. Ever.

Still, Akira was feeling never before felt degrees of violence. It might be the various stresses, but the youngest Touya was ready to take the goban and flip it over, no matter the grievous offense that would be to anyone who ever played go.

Sighing, he stood up. 'If they aren't done by the time I get back, I'm going to toss everyone out, regardless of protocol for guests. If those asinine fools aren't going to stop playing...it's two in the morning! Obsession to a whole new level...and Hikaru shouldn't be skipping meals or appointments like this. That Ko Yeongha...l" this was unbelievable behavior for Touya Akira's personality, but sleep deprivation – he had woken up absurdly early for go duties – in addition to starvation and worry for his best friend was making Akira think irrationally.

Hong Suyon had opened a bleary eye to gaze at Akira curiously, for no one had moved for a very long time, the atmosphere silent except for the soft (or harsh...) 'pachi' sounds that the setting go stones made.

"What do you want for...food?" Akira asked, in response to his questioning glance. "I'm going to go walk around and see if I can find something for us to eat. No one ate dinner, and I'm sure all the sane people–" this wry comment was obviously directed at Yeongha and Hikaru, "–are hungry."

"Ah, thank you," the boy two years younger than Akira murmured. He moved to stand up, but Akira waved him off. "Anything is fine."

Akira nodded, before gesturing to Sai to speak up. "Same," Sai replied. "Touya-kun, are you sure that it would be wise to leave at two in the morning? I'm sure that we have some more of those bento boxes stacked up in the cold box. Hikaru bought lots of them yesterday."

"Ah, ok then," Akira answered. "Thanks. I'll go heat them."

Hikaru started out of his go-induced reverie, and stood up as well. Stretching, a grimace flashed across his face before anyone but Akira, who was facing him, could catch it. A small yawn escaping him, he grinned. "You look tired."

Akira twitched.

"Hey, we're not done here!" Yeongha yelled. "That's 34-35. I'm not going to lose to you!"

Akira twitched again.

Hikaru smiled. "Ok, let's play again!"

Twitch.

"Eat," Akira snarled, very uncharacteristically, dragging the other teen with him to find food.

Sai let a grin escape his lips, amused eyes watching the whole situation.

Suyon flayed an arm over his stomach in his sleep.

Yeongha sighed, before letting himself fall to his side in sheer exhaustion. There was no way that he would give in to Shindou though.

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"So, what do you think we should make?" Hikaru asked Akira. "We have the choices of...onigiri (_rice balls_) with unknown stuff in them, more curry bentos, or...ramen!"

Akira groaned mentally.

Hikaru recognized the look of discontent on the other teen's face, and he grinned. "Well, do you think any of us feel up to either eating or cooking right now? You definitely don't look like you do."

Akira hissed, "And who's fault is that?"

Hikaru grinned sheepishly. "Well, it's not like I can give in to that...person."

"Why not? It's freaking three in the morning!" It appears that lack of sleep and an intense hunger made Touya Akira a very grumpy person.

"Hai, hai. Hikaru walked over to the fridge, and started rummaging around. "I think it'll be fine if we just serve a couple of dishes and eat off of bowls. Suyon looks like he's completely out of it."

Akira bit back a sharp retort. "That's fine. Go sit down, I can do it if you tell me where to find the stuff. You look pale."

"But–"

"That. Is. Not. A. Request."

Hikaru sat.

"Now, where did you say that the plates we got shipped here was?"

"In the right hand cabinet. You should find enough small plates for all of us," Hikaru answered. "There's..."

"Hm?" Akira made a small noise when Hikaru trailed off, stepping on a stool to reach the especially high cabinet.

"There's chopsticks in the drawer beneath that, and the bentos should be in the fridge. Onigiri is on the counter, in front of the tea bags, those are fresh. The ramen cups are where they always are," Hikaru finished. The semi-blond watched as his friend bustled around, shoving two curry "lunch" boxes into the microwave, and then adding hot water to a cup of ramen. Akira arranged a couple of rice balls on a plate, and Hikaru stood up to nab a bottle of iced tea.

"Don't stand up," Akira finished punching in the numbers onto the microwave, and an soft thrum filled the kitchen while the curry heated.

"I'm fine," Hikaru waved of his friend's concerns.

"Hm?" Akira raised an eyebrow at the minute wince Hikaru gave when Akira nudged his foot.

"Just a bit tired. Word of advice, don't sit cross-legged for numerous hours on end, and don't even think of doing it in seiza."

Akira rolled his eyes. "Be careful about it then. Go find some extra blankets, and bring the futons that we have out into the living room. Now that they're still here at three, we can't just kick our guests out for the night."

"Why do we have to sleep out here, then?" Hikaru pouted. "I don't like Ko Yeongha."

"And no one's expecting you to, though it would be nice," Akira said. "You can sleep on the other side of the room if you want. Just hurry up. And come eat as soon as you're done. I'll come help you after I get this food onto the tables in the living room, okay?"

Hikaru nodded, and set his ice tea down on the counter. Stepping carefully out the doorway, he strode down the hallway and to the main bedroom. One futon lay sprawled on the floor, his, while the ones that Sai, and Akira when he stayed over, were tucked neatly under a low table, like they were supposed to. Hikaru rolled his eyes, before bending down to roll up his futon messily with a hiss as numbness shot up to his knees.

Tucking the sheets and blanket up into a neat bundle, it wasn't until Hikaru tried to stand that his legs gave out on him. With a groan, he stumbled backwards, head hitting the table that the futons were under.

He felt his vision grow fuzzy, black dots lining the beige ceiling for some odd reason. Two seconds later, and a cool sort of darkness enveloped him, and Hikaru felt no more, shooting pain in the back of his head fading with his consciousness.

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The first thing he recognized was the harsh, annoying beeping that seemed to come from everywhere at once. The second thing that he noticed was the harsh, annoying lights that threatened to blind him even with his eyes closed. And the third thing that he realized was that the light was suddenly gone, and there was an equally frightening person in his place.

"Hi?" Hikaru murmured softly, or at least tried to, through the foggy plastic mask that was strapped over his mouth and nose. Making a face, Hikaru moved to tug it off, along with a bunch of tubes that would probably be extremely detrimental to his health, but a pair of cool, yet fiery, aquamarine eyes stopped him.

"Hi?" Akira echoed, looking completely furious. "Hi? Is that what I get after you almost give me a heart attack when I found you lying on the floor,_ bleeding_, when I asked you to bundle up a couple of futons?"

Hikaru winced. Akira was, truly, normally a taciturn and polite young man, but when it came to either a) Shindou Hikaru, or b) the health of Shindou Hikaru and his family members, the youngest Touya was a force to be reckoned with.

"Sorry."

"Sorry?"

By now, everyone who had been waiting outside (a.k.a. Suyon and Yeongha, who had gotten the shock of their lives and were still terribly confused) had shuffled quietly inside to watch the commotion. Sai, already sitting in a white chair, motioned for them to come over to his side quietly. They were directly in the metaphorical line of fire, and it probably wouldn't do them good if they didn't be quiet and stand still.

Hikaru nodded.

Sai winced.

"You could have told me you were feeling bad! But no, you had to go and claim everything was fine and it was just a case of sitting still for too long! And then what do you do? You fall over and nearly knock your head open!" Akira paused in his rant, gasping in a quick breath of air before he moved to continue.

"Shindou-san? Touya-san?" a voice Hikaru didn't recognize sounded from the doorway. It appeared that the unknown voice belonged to a doctor in a white coat.

"What?" Akira hissed at the poor doctor.

"I'm here to look at Shindou-san," said doctor murmured meekly.

"Oh." Akira blinked, coming out of his worry induced trance, and seemed to process what he had just said. "Oh. Sorry! I didn't mean to speak so impolitely, sensei."

The doctor smiled nervously and strode over to the pair.

Sai stared at him with eyes full of admiration. No one, no one at all, dared to approach the two rivals when emotions were on high. It just wasn't done. Even when Akira was a mere child, he was an imposing figure.

The man whipped a clipboard out of seemingly nowhere, and Hikaru watched as he jotted down notes, examining the machines. Impatiently, Hikaru scowled, before reaching a hand up to rip off the mask again.

Akira glared at him, and swatted his hand away. "Oh no you don't."

"Actually, Shindou-san's oxygen levels are back up, and the stress on his lungs and heart has diminished greatly. The extra oxygen and rest has done him good, and he'll be fine. Of course," the doctor said, "he'll need to keep of his feet for awhile." Glancing at Shindou, he continued, "If you would please vacate the room for a moment, I would like to speak with our patient here."

Hikaru smirked at Akira, and moved to rip off the mask, again.

Looking at Hikaru's rough movements, and the fact that the doctor was skimming his notes and not looking at the patient about to cause himself harm, Akira took it upon himself to remove the mask and tubing gently.

Hikaru gasped and coughed once, before nodding in thanks at Akira, albeit slightly glaring at him at the same time.

Sai gave one more very worried look at Hikaru, In which the semi-blond returned with a reassuring one, before rising elegantly and leading the two Korean pros out of the room.

The doctor waited for Akira to leave, but he was merely shot an incredulous look.

"Please?" Hikaru asked, gazing at Akira disconcertingly.

"No," Akira replied flatly.

"Touya-san, doctor-patient confidentiality states–"

"I'm his medical proxy. I'm also his best friend, who is now worried and still completely clueless about this situation because some idiot decided for himself that I don't need to know any of this. So I'm going to stay, and I won't be leaving unless you call security and have me dragged out of here," Akira stated, obstinacy showing through.

Hikaru sighed. "It's fine." Muttering, he continued under his breath, "Knowing Akira, he actually wouldn't move until you called hospital security and had him thrown into the hospital parking lot."

"That's right," Akira glared.

The doctor coughed. "All right then. Well, it appears that one of our doctors here, the one specializing in disease of the nervous system, already has a file on you. The nurse searched it up, and from what we've seen, it's basically an episode in which your illness is progressing. You mentioned that the symptoms were sort of like those of Guillain-Barre Syndrome, but we still don't have any solid evidence of any sort of further symptoms or cures or medicine to give you unless we do further research. Since you've refused it..." the doctor trailed off.

All the while, no one noticed as Akira's eyes got wider and wider.

Hikaru waved off the doctor's concerns. "I'm fine."

"No he's not," Akira interjected. "He's been feeling loss of appetite, as well as difficulty sleeping in addition to numbness and the pins and needles feeling in his legs."

The doctor paused. "That's new. Shindou-san, you should tell us when new symptoms emerge so that you can be treated accordingly." He scribbled something down on a pad, and handed it to Hikaru. "Here are a few prescriptions, a pain reliever and a few sleeping pills if you're feeling especially restless. The appetite problem can either be solved with herbal teas or western pills, which one will you prefer?"

"I can find some tea to drink," Hikaru said.

Akira sighed. "Not just any tea, Hikaru." Directing his comment at the doctor, he said, "I'll look into it."

"All right. Thank you. Shindou-san. Tell us and report to the clinic if you are experiencing any new symptoms," the doctor ordered sternly.

"Hai, hai," Hikaru answered.

"Thank you very much," Akira replied, sending a glare at Hikaru.

"Very well. Shindou-san can probably be discharged soon, but I want to keep him a night for observation, just in case of a concussion or something. You can fill the prescriptions later, and I'll see if I can find a herbal tea if you can't." With that, the man walked out of the room and away.

Making sure that the doctor was gone, Akira unleashed his fury. "Did he just say that you _refused treatment_? And why do you seem to be the one diagnosing your illness? It's as if the doctors have no idea what's going on. Hikaru! You're only telling me half the story!"

Hikaru sighed. "There's nothing really to tell. It's true that the doctors don't really know much about this illness, I told you. And I'm not willing to be poked and prodded with needles when I could be playing go instead."

"Guillain-Barre Syndrome is fatal!" Akira yelled. "You can't just sit at home and do nothing about it."

"I don't have GBS," Hikaru answered stubbornly.

"You...!"

"Touya-kun," Sai's twinkling voice sounded from the doorway. "I think it's best if Hikaru, as well as yourself, got some rest. You have been at his bedside since he collapsed yesterday, and I don't think you overworking and exhausting yourself will do any good, for either Hikaru's health or his mental state."

"You have a match later on today, don't you? Go home, or go to our apartment, take a shower, grab something to eat, and relax," Hikaru agreed, easily grasping on to the lifeline that Sai was offering him. "Sai, you too. You have a pro exam match at around the same time as Akira's. Go with him, I'll be fine here. It's not like I have anything to do..."

"We're not just going to leave you here in the hospital," Akira sighed.

Sai nodded, whole-heartedly agreeing. "I can skip one match...," Sai said. "Nothing will happen."

Hikaru rolled his eyes. Sai would breeze through the exam anyways, but the man seemed like he was having lots of fun playing by himself for once. "I'm fine," Hikaru answered. "Just me and this boring hospital room."

"We can stay with him," Ko Yeongha unexpectedly spoke up from behind Sai.

All three of them stared at the Korean go pro, causing even the ever arrogant Yeongha to sport a light blush. "You all have professional stuff, and we've already taken a month long leave from our matches in Korea."

Ignoring Hikaru's proclamation of, "That long?" Akira spoke up.

"Is it really all right?"

"Hello, I'm sitting right here!" Hikaru shouted. "And it's not like I'll sneak out of the hospital or anything..."

As Suyon saw the skeptical looks that both Fujiwara-san and Touya-san gave the bedridden boy, Suyon had a feeling that Hikaru would do anything but stay in bed as he was supposed to.

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Hikaru sighed. He was bored out of his mind, and staring grumpily at the strikingly white ceiling of the hospital room he was _still _in. The whole day had turned out to be quite a disaster for him.

In trying to avoid a trip to the hospital clinic, he had gotten himself stranded somewhere even worse: a real hospital room, complete with white everywhere and annoying beeping machines.

The room was currently only occupied by him, and Suyon, who had his head slumped back. Hikaru guessed that he was still tired after the whole go playing fiasco between Ko and Hikaru last night. Speaking of which, Hikaru wasn't exactly sure where Ko Yeongha had gone.

The semi-blond had nodded off for awhile after Akira and Sai left – which took a really long time, as neither were really reassured that Hikaru was fine – and when he woke up, the older male was gone.

Taking advantage of the fact that no one seemed to be observing him and making sure that Hikaru wasn't running away, the teen smirked, and, with one swift move, pulled out his IV. Giving a slight flinch, Hikaru was moving to take off the other machinery monitoring his heart rate when an eerie screech broke out in the room.

With a start, Suyon shot up from his uncomfortable looking position, and nurses burst into the room – with, oddly, a frantic looking Touya Akira two steps behind them. After the overall panic faded away, they all stared, rather befuddled, by a perfectly conscious Shindou Hikaru.

While most of the nurses shuffled out after realizing what had happened, one remained and was getting ready to lecture Hikaru when Akira took over.

Eerily polite, the teen smiled at the nurse and asked, "Why exactly did the monitor go off?"

"Ah, Shindou-san pulled out the plugs for the monitors. Because it did not sense a heart beat, or other signs that show a person is still alive, it assumed that Shindou-san went into cardiac arrest."

Akira twitched unnoticeably to all but Hikaru.

"Thank you. If you would please reattach the monitors, I would like to...talk, with Hikaru."

"Of course," the nurse replied simply, smirking internally. This would probably not go well for her patient, but some of these patients were just so obstinate about health care, and it would make the world a better place if they all had someone like that nice young man to take care of them.

She gently reattached all of the machinery, and sighed when she saw that the IV had been forcibly tugged out by obviously inexperienced hands. "Pulling out IVs can cause serious infections," she murmured disapprovingly.

She saw Touya-san scowl, and she grinned mentally, if only because this particular patient would probably never do such a thing again after this incident. "I'll have to replace it, the needle is unsanitary now. Excuse me, I'll be back."

The nurse shut the door behind her, allowing the raven that had been sitting in the chair to slip out first, and smiled softly at the chiding tones that were already coming out of the room. She left with the IV stand, walking down the hall sedately.

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"What were you thinking?" Akira glared. "Do you have any idea how worried I was when I was walking to your room and noticed a bunch of nurses yelling and rushing in?"

"Sorry," Hikaru said.

Akira sighed. "I know that you don't like hospitals, or being confined, but this is for your own good."

"I'm fine," Hikaru snapped grumpily.

"No you're not!" Akira's glare hadn't let up throughout the whole time. "And we still haven't talked about the fact that you seem to be able to predict yours symptoms, something that not even your doctors seem to be able to do." More gently, he whispered, "Hikaru, tell me what's wrong."

The semi-blond sighed. He didn't want to tell Akira. The other teen would flip, and he didn't want Akira to. On the other hand...

"It's none of your business. Go away."

Akira blinked. "What do you mean it's none of my business? I'm your friend, aren't I?"

"Maybe not," Hikaru glared sullenly at the bed sheets."

"Don't."

Hikaru looked up, an expression of surprise flitting across his face before it was overtaken by apathy.

"I don't believe you. You're just trying to push me away. It's not going to work. Why can't you see I'm just trying to help you?"

Hikaru sighed again. "I do, Akira. It's just...there's not really much that you can do anyways, and I don't want to hurt you."

"You're hurting me more by not telling me anything," Akira answered bluntly. "I want to be able to help you, and you're just making me worry more because I have no idea what's happening."

"But–"

"There shouldn't be anything that you're worried about telling me. We're best friends, right?"

Hikaru paused, It was rare that Akira would ever wear his heart on his sleeve. The other teen was usually stoic, and sort of emotionally impaired. Hikaru could tell that it was taking a lot of effort for Akira to say those words aloud, even if they both knew it was true.

"Yes. If...you really want to know everything, you'll have to promise me that you won't tell Sai anything."

"Why?"

"Just promise me."

Akira paused, questions running through his mind. What could Hikaru have to say to him that he couldn't say to his mentor, and one of the people closest to him? As much as that touched Akira to a degree, the trust that Hikaru placed in him, it also sent him on a rather suspicious defense. He didn't want Hikaru hurt, and whatever secret the semi-blond was hiding, Akira had a feeling he wouldn't like it..

"Fine."

"Promise?"

"Yes."

Just then, the nurse gently opened the door, tugging along an identical IV stand. "Am I interrupting something?" the woman asked.

"No, it's fine," Hikaru answered. He mouthed, 'I'll tell you later,' at Akira and turned his attention to the nurse.

"Can I leave yet?"

"The doctor says that it's fine, as long as you follow the prescriptions and his instructions, and come in if you feel any new symptoms emerging." The last part was obviously directed at Akira. "You'll have to stay here until this IV drains though. It's just saline, but because you've been dehydrated for the past few days. Do take care to at least drink plenty of fluids, and try to keep some salted crackers or something of that sort down if you don't have an appetite. Also, be sure to change the bandage on your head, and come back if you see or feel any more oddities or discomforts."

"Fine," Hikaru answered.

"Cheer up! You'll be out of here in no time," the nurse replied, smiling cheerfully.

Hikaru groaned mentally. 'That's sort of what I'm afraid of,' he thought, sending a discreet glance at the other teen by his side.

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**Slightly longer than usual. What happened to my reviews? They seem to be dwindling...well, I appreciate those who take the time to drop comments, as well as those lurkers out there reading my story. Thanks for reading, please leave me a review and let me know how you like it!**

**EDIT: Did some minor typos fixing, and added a sentence or two in two places. **


	7. Chapter 7

Hikaru sighed from his place on his futon, limbs sprawling. He opened his eyes. Then closed then. Five minutes later, he opened them again. And closed. This pattern wore on for a few moments before a sharp voice cut into his thoughts.

"You know, just because you're closing your eyes and imagining my disappearance does not, in fact, mean that I will actually vanish," Akira voiced aloud wryly. "I'm still here, and I'm not moving until you explained like you promised. And I'm not going to take a 'someday' as an answer either. If it wasn't for Sai's sudden presence, you probably wouldn't have ever told me about him until we were as old as Kuwabara-sensei."

Hikaru shuddered. "Never!"

Akira rolled his eyes. "Just get this over with. It's going to 'hurt' all the more if you prolong it."

"You sound like one of those theories for removing bandages," Hikaru replied, staring at him.

"Hikaru!"

The semi-blond sighed. "Sai has his game today, right? I think it's one of the last before the last week of the exams, right?"

Akira sent him a glare, before nodding. "Yes, you have a whole four hours before anyone will interrupt us. So talk. I've even requested that Hong-san and Ko-san leave us alone for the rest of the day, claiming that you need rest. Which you do. So hurry up and tell me what's going on."

"But...," Hikaru dawdled, hoping hopelessly – which was an oxymoron if any ever was – that Akira would just give up. But of course, that would ever happen. After all, it was Touya Akira that Hikaru was talking about.

"Hikaru."

"Fine," the teen sighed, feeling as if he had been doing so a lot lately. He pulled himself up from his lying position on the futon. "Might as well get it over with."

"Yes."

"..."

"Hurry up."

Hikaru paused, before schooling his features into apathy. "I told you about Sai leaving, right?"

Akira too had on a serious expression. "Vaguely. You just told me that he disappeared, and so you skipped your matches for that period of time. And I've noticed that you seem to get very quiet when May 5th comes around."

"Well...I was playing Sai in my room one day," Hikaru explained grimly. "I was really tired, sort of grumpy. We...never finished that game. When I woke up, he was gone. I...fell into a frenzy, I suppose. After Sai vanished, I traveled to Shuusaku's grave with a friend of mine, and searched for him, thinking maybe he went to see him...Torajirou, I mean. But...he wasn't there, and I was pretty deep In denial. I ended up at the records room in the Go Institute, among a bunch of kifu."

Hikaru paused, his mask of apathy gradually disappearing with each word he bit out.

"I'm...not exactly sure of the exact wording, but I remember being in a haze of pain, and I suppose I did and said some irrational things. I begged kami-sama to give Sai back, or to turn back time until when I had first met Sai."

A tear fell, and Hikaru hastily wiped it away. "Sorry."

Akira scooted closer to Hikaru, and handed him a tissue.

Hikaru gave him a weak smile, and joked, "Sai's at the Go Institute, and I'm here bawling like a little child."

"It's not shameful to cry for things that have pained you so greatly," Akira said quietly, looking at Hikaru comfortingly. "I understand. You can stop if you'd like. I don't want to cause you pain."

Hikaru smiled at him, genuinely, if a bit weakly. "I'll be fine. I should probably tell someone, I suppose. It just...hurts, even though I can see Sai within minutes if I headed out to the Institute now."

"Of course," Akira replied simply.

"You remember how you found me after you figured I was skipping my games and disappeared, right?"

Akira took the question as rhetorical, for Hikaru knew that Akira would never forget anything that the straight-haired teen deemed important. Hikaru was important, even two and a half years ago.

"Ah...I spent the first night unconscious on the floor of the kifu library that I was looking through. The man that showed me in probably figured that I had left or something because it was so quiet, and imagine the shock he got when he found me unconscious on the floor..."

Akira stared. "And you never thought that this was important enough to tell me, why?"

"Eh...anyways, I woke up soon enough, and after the man chided me for falling asleep on his floor, I left."

Akira paused, before speaking up. "You mean he just let you waltz out of there after he found you limp on the floor?"

"Yup. Stop interrupting me. This is the troublesome part."

The other teen closed his eyes. If falling unconscious on the floor wasn't 'troublesome' enough for Hikaru, Akira wasn't sure what would be.

"I'm not exactly sure what happened, but I found myself in this meadow with this really adorable looking bunny who started talking."

Akira stared at Hikaru, wondering if perhaps the other teen needed a psychologist. Badly. Sure, he believed the fact that Sai was a ghost from the Heian period, but talking bunnies were way to bizarre for him to believe.

Hikaru burst out into giggles.

"What's funny about that?" Akira asked, staring at him suspiciously.

Between gasps, Hikaru managed to say, "It wasn't really a talking bunny. I was just feeling a bit down, and I figured that the look on your face when I said that would probably make me feel better, if only in the slightest bit. And I was right."

Akira glared. "What really happened then?"

"Well, it was a meadow, but it was this guy, maybe in his late twenties, behind a goban. I was sort in a haze, and I didn't really see anything suspicious about it. I thought maybe I was hallucinating...but with Sai's return, I doubt that. Anyways, we ended up playing a game. He was...amazing. I can't even really remember the game that we played, but I remember him blowing me away. He was completely out of my league, and even Sai's."

Such a concept was difficult for Akira to believe, almost as much as the rabbit who held a conversation.

However, Akira pushed that to the back of his mind, and watched quietly as Hikaru's expression changed again, back into his attempted mask of apathy.

"He asked me if I really wanted Sai back. And why. He...said that he would give it to me, after I explained about how selfish I felt, and how guilty, give me back Sai, I mean. I was overjoyed, of course, and I didn't really listen to his terms until I had agreed. And...I don't regret my decision."

Akira felt overwhelming waves of dread. "What happened?" he asked softly, gingerly.

"He...said that I would have to pay a price, me and not anyone else, but he would return Sai to me. The man gave me the final choice, even after I had agreed to whatever it was that he wanted hastily. He wanted a fair exchange for Sai, and although I wasn't exactly sure what that was, I had agreed. Then he faded, and I woke up the man at the kifu library shaking me awake."

Opening his mouth, Akira thought against interrupting Hikaru, despite his dread and worry at the terms that Hikaru may have unwittingly agreed to, messing with the supernatural and giving away anything he personally had for Sai's return.

"I thought that it was a dream, or a hallucination, or something of that sort, because everything seemed fine, and I just...kept going. I went back to go after Isumi-san came and talked with me, like you should know. But...I suppose I never really forgot about the dream. It wasn't until I was feeling ill after the Hokuto Cup that I figured out what was going on. I had another 'dream' one night, when I was feeling particularly sick, and that man showed up again. He told me that the price for Sai's life, his freedom, would be mine, and he asked me if I was willing to do it. He asked me if I was truly sure that I was willing to do that."

By now Akira was in a state of shock, torn between horror and a deep sadness, and bashing Hikaru's head in for his sheer selflessness and stupidity.

Hikaru continued, his emerald shaded eyes looking everywhere but at Akira.

"We...conversed about what might happen, and I...agreed, I suppose. I disappeared the next day, after watching your game – I'm not sure if you remember that – from far away, and a deed to that old country house somehow mysteriously appeared. It...I couldn't stay, knowing what that might have happened to my mom, and to the other people that knew about me if I just...faded, even if I had originally thought that maybe I was just undergoing very vivid hallucinations. It wasn't really until Sai appeared, and I found out that his body was found the same day that I had the dream, that...maybe it really did happen," Hikaru shrugged.

Akira stared at him with the same overwhelming mixture of emotions, silent.

"Akira? Akira? Hello~?" Hikaru said worriedly, waving a hand in front of Akira's blank eyes.

"You idiot!" Akira came out of his daze, and responded in the only way he knew how to. He exploded, ready to hit the shorter teen, in a rare moment of violent impulse, but was stopped when Hikaru's hand gently held his wrist, stopping Akira from causing Hikaru, and probably himself, harm.

Akira shuddered, eyes wide, disbelieving. It was bad enough knowing that his best friend probably wouldn't be there any long in a mere year, but it was definitely worse knowing that he had traded away his life willingly in a selfless act of love.

Sobs began to wrack Akira's pale frame, and Hikaru sighed, softly patting his friend's shoulder while disarray and pain shook through Akira. In an extremely rare moment of weakness, Akira had allowed himself to slump against Hikaru's shoulder, and the two of them were propped up against the wall, sitting on HIkaru's futon.

The true realization of what Hikaru had done had just begun to hit Akira, and the self control that he normally had erected in a defensive front had collapsed, leaving him considerably helpless.

Offhandedly, Akira thought about how odd it was that he was the one crying into Hikaru's shoulder when it was the semi-blond that was sick, that was dying, and yet Hikaru's was still silently comforting his rival, his best friend.

It took nearly an hour before Akira regained enough control to sit up, a light blush tinging his cheeks. "Sorry...," he said, sheepishness still laced with the pain of knowing that Akira had a feeling would never fade.

Still, it was better than the oblivion that he used to live in, simply because now he knew what he could do for Hikaru, and he knew that he would do everything in his power to protect the semi-blond, as uneffective as that may be against what Hikaru believed to be an ethereal being.

"It's perfectly fine," Hikaru said in a rare moment of displayed thoughtfulness.

"Still, I'm going to hold this over your head for a long, long time," Hikaru said with an also rare sadistic smirk.

"Hikaru!"

Laughing, the semi-blond brushed away a few stray tears on his own face with his sleeve before handing Akira a tissue. "I don't mean it, of course," Hikaru smiled.

"How can you..."

Akira didn't need to finish the sentence, and he wasn't sure if he could, anyways.

Hikaru shrugged. "Life's life, I suppose. Might as well live happy, and die content than live hesitantly and die regretful. Besides, I was in so much agony after Sai's pseudo-death, that I just...couldn't take it anymore. Might as well take what I get. I'm content. Kami-sama let me spend some more time with Sai, however limited that might be. And...well, I suppose that's all I want before I die, however selfish it might be."

"You're not going to die," Akira replied firmly. "If you know exactly what's going on and the order your symptoms will appear you, I'm not just going to let you laze around at home."

"But–"

"Not listening."

"Akira!"

"Nope. In fact, you're coming with me to see a doctor tomorrow, and–"

"And what? Tell them that I met with the kami-sama of go, and that I traded away my li – health?" Hikaru scoffed. "As if anyone is going to believe that. They're going to think I have a mental disorder, and lock me up in an asylum somewhere."

Akira paused. That was true, but..."Promise me if you feel ill, tell me, and I'll find someway to help. Promise."

While Hikaru doubted that there was anything his best friend could do, he nodded obediently. "I promise. I'm not keeping any more secrets...I think."

"You think?" Akira asked in a suspicious tone.

"Well, if I am, it's probably not on purpose. If you ask me directly, I'll tell you, but I've probably forgotten about it," Hikaru grinned sheepishly.

Akira sighed, but nodded. "Be careful..."

"Of course," Hikaru replied seriously, though he still had his doubts that everything would be all right. After all, he had two years to fully contemplate everything, and even if he wasn't sure what was going to happen exactly during those two years, he had finally come to terms with the fact that this was just the price he had to pay, and if it meant Sai would be happy...he was willing to pay it, definitely.

Even if there were echoing regrets, almost as definitely, Hikaru knew that If he was given the chance again today, he would still have done what he did two years ago. Oh, he felt guilty all right, especially after seeing that devastated look on Akira's face – the whole reason why he had attempted isolation, especially from those he loved – but as much as he held Akira dear, Sai was someone irreplaceable, and Hikaru knew that well. And in the back of his mind, the kami's words reverberated softly. What would be taken would be something solely from him...

"Want to play a game?" Akira said suddenly, snapping Hikaru out of his daze of thoughts.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sure," Hikaru answered, a small, but sincere smile lighting up his features. Trust Akira to be Akira, always believing that go would solve all his problems. 'And perhaps it does,' Hikaru mused silently to himself. 'After all, much of the good in my life happened because of go.'

Akira stood up, running a sleeve over his eyes in a discreet manner, which Hikaru didn't comment on, and walked over to the go board a few paces away from their seat, and gently set the goban in front of Hikaru, seating himself across the board.

When Hikaru moved to straighten himself from the slumped position against the wall, Akira waved off all his attempts, glaring at him when he tried to do it anyways.

"I'm dragging you to the clinic if you do anything reckless."

It didn't take a genius to figure out which clinic Akira meant.

Hikaru sighed, but only straightened enough to reach the goban before he grabbed one of the closed goke. Opening it, and gazing upon the white stones, he reached for them, and murmured, "Nigiri."

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

Fujiwara no Sai was getting incredibly frustrated. Ever since Hikaru's hospitalization a week ago, and the absolutely frantic yell of Touya Akira as he noticed his best friend on the floor, _bleeding_, when he walked into the room was enough of a scare for Sai, but apparently Akira now knew something that Sai himself didn't, for the man had noticed the younger go pro glaring at him at random moments of the day, for what Sai believed to be no reason whatsoever.

Upon wracking his memories for anything that he might have done to upset Touya-kun, Sai found nothing that was of interest. He did mention that one move on hoshi that he thought was weak, but Touya-kun had never came across to Sai as someone that would hold a grudge on a suggestion. After all, he was the son of a go genius, after all; and one who wasn't picky about hurting one's feelings if it meant that they would improve.

Besides, Sai really didn't think that was the problem. Touya Akira had always been open about receiving help with his go, even if all he needed now was practice, and lots of it. Well, that is, advice from anyone but Shindou Hikaru, but that was another story altogether.

Either way, Sai was slightly unnerved and uncomfortable with the glares of intense dislike, bordering on hatred, that the youngest Touya sent his way, discreetly, when he thought that Sai wasn't looking.

Sai hadn't pegged Akira to be someone who held a grudge for long, nor could he think of anything that he had done for said grudge to be held. And it seemed like Akira was normally very polite and reserved, not someone that Sai would expect to go so far as to constantly scorn anyone, even if it was practically a stranger that he had just met.

And so Fujiwara no Sai watched him. Sai wasn't one that did anything too quickly. He had heard himself compared with an elegant swordsman, deadly and graceful, or at least his go. Sai wasn't sure just how accurate that description was, but he was sure that he could wait. He could wait, and see what was going on, before acting swiftly. After all, it did no good to burst into something completely unprepared, even if his heart screamed at him to do so, and find out what was wrong with Touya Akira, and what it had to do with him, and Hikaru.

But he would wait. For it was foolish to jump into something without knowing. Dangerous, even.

Hikaru was the living exception.

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

Ko Yeongha was, for the lack of a better term, furious. Not even Suyon, with all of his rational and calming manner, could even shift the temper of the red-headed teen, and not for a lack of trying, either.

The object of his fury? Shindou Hikaru. Again.

He had traveled all the way to Japan from Korea, for goodness sakes! And the bi-colored hair teen hadn't even bothered to appreciate his passion, or even acknowledge it for that matter. Just to see Shindou, and find out what in the world had happened.

But three days after the incident in which Shindou was brought to the hospital, he still remained infuriatingly oblivious to the thickening mystery that shrouded itself around the go player.

For one, Yeongha was sure that the style of the mysterious Sai was Shuusaku's. It incomparably, irrevocably, belonged to Honinbou Shuusaku, of that the Korean pro was sure. After all, who else played with such a deadly brilliance, a swift sword in the chilling darkness?

Yeongha had lost, humiliatingly, and wanted to know why. He had, of course, studied Shuusaku's kifu diligently, as even those from other countries acknowledged the brilliance that was Shuusaku. Even so, Yeongha was convinced that no, no one could be that good at mimicking a style.

And it appeared that either this Fujiwara Sai was a genius at parroting styles, or he was Shuusaku incarnate. Yeongha wasn't sure which was less believable, but he knew that he was going to find out before the end of his self-claimed vacation. And he was going to find out what the relation between Shindou and this Sai was, and why this enigma that surrounded them was so secretive, so hidden.

Of course, all of these goals had been formed after he met Sai, and during the matches between Yeongha and Shindou. However, after the events that followed their series of games, Yeongha had a new gal to achieve. He would find out what in the world was wrong with Shindou Hikaru's health, and why Touya Akira had sounded so worried, so devastated when he called to apologize for their lack of hospitality that night, not that even Yeongha would blame them.

When Suyon came back to their shared hotel room that night, he took one glance at Yeongha's expression and grimaced. The older teen had that glint in his eye. The one that said he would get to the bottom of things, and he wouldn't care if his methods weren't necessarily pretty.

It was the gleam that his eyes held when he revealed that one of the teachers of the Korean Go Institute had been dealing drugs, after he insulted one of Yeongha's moves. It was the one that showed up in his eyes right before one of Yeongha's old classmates had teased him about his obsession with go, and disappeared a week after, put in an asylum for his rambling of poltergeists and flying pink irons.

Either way, it spelled great trouble, and Suyon could help but groan for whatever poor soul had caught Yeongha's attention this time around.

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

Hikaru sighed as he neatly brushed a strand of hair out of his eyes. 'It's getting longer,' he absentmindedly noted to himself mentally.

He was, unusually, on a quest to find something for Sai. Some sort of a gift for Sai's introduction into the professional go world, of which Hikaru had no doubt would ultimately happen. And it had happened. Sai's induction into the league of pros, that is. The man had won the last game that he needed to be one of the three that would be promoted to pros, and the rest of the games were really just a formality.

And Hikaru wanted to celebrate, in some way or another. He knew that to Sai it didn't really make much of a difference, that it wasn't anything but a formality for what was about to be his drastic rise into the professional world of go. And that Sai wasn't really one for celebrations either, but rather preferred an afternoon of go.

Hikaru wanted to make Sai feel special for once though, something that he hadn't done in the two years that Sai had been with him, and something that still made him feel minutely guilty whenever it came across his mind. He wanted, _needed_, to let Sai know how special he was, especially to the semi-blond teen.

And so he bad 'borrowed' some of Akira's clothing, and wore a convincing looking baseball cap. Hikaru strolled down the streets, merely window-shopping, as he had no idea what to get for Sai. It seemed that all Sai was interested in was his go, and Hikaru was honestly unsure of what kind of a present the man would appreciate.

Which was, in fact, also the reason that he had been sighing so heavily.

Hikaru knew that Sai had mentioned that he had played the flute in his Heian days, but Hikaru wasn't musically talented in anyway, and he had a feeling that he would probably mutilate any gift related to music.

So, he was once again at a loss, and had no idea what to get. Sure, it was just a small present, most likely, and not really for anything super important, as Sai's entry into the pro world was probably pre-destined once he became...un-ghostly, but Hikaru still wanted to give _something_.

He was just having a big problem figuring out what.

Which resulted in the reason as to why he was drifting down the streets, despite Hikaru's unwillingness to be seen, or get close to, anyone. And, of course, Akira's protests against spending so much energy.

That is, if he knew about Hikaru's little expedition. Which he didn't. So. Yup.

Hikaru figured that he would be road kill as soon as Akira heard about it, so he was racing against the clock as well. After all, Akira seemed to have taken up the habit of coming back to the apartment between his matches instead of at home, and staying four nights out of the week anyways. Hikaru was on the brink of just asking the other boy to move in, for it would probably save Akira a lot of time and energy anyways. The only reason the semi-blond was hesitating was because with Akira so close-quarters, he had a feeling that his own health would be all the more inspected, prodded, kept under such a close eye that Hikaru would probably go insane.

But that wasn't the point of his shopping trip. The purpose was to find Sai's gift. Right. Gift. Sai.

Hikaru sighed yet again as his emerald eyes drifted down the street, looking at anything that might interest Sai. Hm. Fast food restaurant. Clothing. Children's toy store. Antique apparel. Art supplies. Book store.

'Wait,' Hikaru thought, stopping his mundane train of thought. Antique apparel. He tried to mentally summon is image of Sai, and came up with a man with long, flowing hair, complete with Heian style outfit. Long, equally flowing sleeves, tall hat, fan, earrings, bright smile.

Earrings. Hikaru suddenly grinned happily and made his way towards the antique apparel store. It was likely that it probably had some old styled jewelry, and even if it didn't, Hikaru was set. He could always find a store that sold only jewelry and trinkets like that, but Hikaru was sure that Sai would probably appreciate something with an older touch more, even if it was found at a small, remotely placed shop.

He strode into the little store confidently, and was greeted by a relatively crowded, small room; to Hikaru, it seemed to have everything, from long, drifting sets of robes to screens that Hikaru had seen in Akira's house once or twice, traditional things that Hikaru didn't know much about.

"Welcome. May I help you?"

Hikaru jumped a little at the voice that rang throughout the room, and it was only then he noticed the homely looking shopkeeper, perched on a tall stool beside a stand with a stack of papers on it.

"Yeah, I'm looking for some earrings, old-ish, maybe with purple somewhere on it..."

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

The two men walked down the street, one of them pausing briefly to point out sites to the other, before they stopped in front of an antique store, at what appeared to be the request of the other man.

"Would you wait a moment? I want to get a souvenir," the second man explained.

"At an antique shop?" the first man smiled benevolently.

"Well, I appreciate the classics," the second shot back with a small smile.

The first man nodded, and the second stepped inside the store.

The dark-haired man – the first – was left standing outside, and he stepped to the side to avoid being bashed in with the door. Knowing his Chinese friend – whom he didn't know that intimately, but rather led him around due to the request of another Chinese friend who knew the first – it would take awhile before the man in the store would find the perfect memento.

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

"Perfect!" Hikaru exclaimed, beaming happily when the shopkeeper showed him a set of earrings, simple but elegant. They didn't have any purple on them, but Hikaru admired the sheer gracefulness of the crafting, and he had a feeling that Sai would appreciate it more than a gaudy purple.

The shopkeeper told him the price after calling out a soft welcome to the person entering, and Hikaru paid it. After all, it's not like he went on shopping sprees during his years as a go pro. Also, he had his own ways of getting money...not like that! Hikaru tutored, go of course, on the internet. It was rather inconventional, but Hikaru didn't mind, as long as he did get to play go...

Taking the small bag that the shopkeeper handed him, Hikaru smiled. 'Perfect.'

Pausing, he noticed an intricate sculpture of a goban, miniature-sized. 'Hm...it's not like I really need it...but it's pretty, isn't it?'

"Yes, it is."

Unknowingly, Hikaru had spoken the last part aloud. The semi-blond jumped half a foot off the floor. 'Gah. Is it another person I know? I would explode if someone I knew managed to find me, again, especially since it's this out-of-place antique store.'

Happily, Hikaru noted that the taller man was not, in fact, someone that he knew. Smiling at him, he said, "I love the beautiful details...and the mini go stones in the goke are so well-crafted."

"You play go?" the stranger asked him, and Hikaru suddenly paused.

"What if he's a stalker or something?"

"I can reassure you that I am not, in fact, a stalker," the man smiled.

"...I said that out loud again, didn't I?" Hikaru asked, closing his eyes.

"Yes," the stranger said, voice laced with a tone of amusement.

"Ah."

"My name is Li Huinan, and I'm doing some sight-seeing in Japan with the friend of my friend."

"Ah. Um, Shindou. Shindou...Akira." Mentally, Hikaru fell over at his horribly crafted name. He, at the last second, had remembered that Go Weekly _still_ had his face on the front of their web page. And even if most go players didn't really use the internet...he didn't want to chance it. 'Akira's going to kill me if I ever get out of this mess. Again.'

"Well, Shindou Akira, nice to meet you."

Hikaru just smiled back, wondering how he was going to get away from this mess. Not that Li Huinan was a bad person, but...the results would soon become very, very hectic.

"So, do you play go?" Li asked again.

"Ah, yes. Some." Hikaru replied vaguely. "Do you?"

"I play, but only as an amateur for the time being. I have a couple pro friends that are urging me to take the pro exams, but I'm not sure. Actually, I'm here in Japan visiting one of my friend's friend, and he's taking me around."

"Ah. Um...you're Chinese, I suppose?"

"Yes. Well, would you like the sculpture? If not, this seems to be the perfect memento for my little trip to Japan."

"Go ahead and take it," Hikaru nodded. "I'm just admiring the workmanship, but I don't really need to buy it or something."

"Thank you!" Li exclaimed, smiling happily. "If you won't mind waiting until I pay for the item, you could come along for some lunch, Shindou. I was planning on treating my new friend for his hospitality, and I'm sure that he wouldn't mind an extra guest."

"Er, that's all right..."

"No, no, I insist! After the stimulating conversation we just had, I insist that you join us, Shindou!"

Hikaru groaned mentally. 'Was I ever this...frustrating?'

"Thank you, then," Hikaru answered. Privately, he wondered how that conversation was stimulating in any way or manner. Briefly, he also wondered if sneaking away would be terribly rude...and decided it probably was. Akira and his politeness...

He waited semi-patiently as Li took the sculpture to the shopkeeper, and then walked back to him. "Let's go!" Li said exuberantly. "You should meet my friend, I'm sure that you'll become great friends. He's a go pro as well–" Warning bells were immediately set off in Hikaru's mind. "– and he's really cool!"

"Er, maybe I shouldn't impose," Hikaru said diplomatically, searching for a way out.

"Nonsense! In fact, we should all go to a salon and play some matches!"

'Why, oh why, did I meet this person?' Hikaru thought, uncharacteristically bleak. 'He's just too insistent.'

"Besides, he's waiting outside. AT least meet him and play a game or two, Shindou!" Li said as he walked to the door. "Isumi is a very nice person, and a great go player!"

"...Isumi. As in...Isumi Shinichiro?" Hikaru asked, groaning mentally.

"Yes!" Li said, still beaming with glee. "You know him! He's a great man, and such a good go player! You should play a game with him, Shindou!" Li opened the door as he made his last proclamation.

"Shindou? Did you say something about a Shindou, Huinan-san?" a familiar voice called out from outside the doorway.

'Oh dear.' Hikaru thought, for a lack of more appropriate – or rather, inappropriate, as drilled into his head by one Touya Akira – words. "Er, thanks for everything Li-san, but I _really_ got to go."

"Nonsense! At least have a meal with us!" Li exclaimed cheerfully, grasping onto Hikaru's arm and killing all of his escape routes. Or at least, in Hikaru's point of view, that is. "Isumi! Meet my new friend, Shindou Akira!"

Hikaru groaned, dropping his gaze to the floor and hoping that the sweatshirt that he was wearing hid is distinctive blond bangs. Not that Isumi-san wouldn't recognize him even if he had dyed his bangs brown again. 'Don't let him recognize me, don't let him recognize me!' Hikaru pleaded to whatever kami-sama was looking at him. 'Please, my luck can't be so bad!'

"Ah...Shindou...Akira?"

Hikaru could hear the obvious skepticism in Isumi-san's voice, even if he was normally polite and very reserved. 'Then again,' Hikaru mused, 'after meetly taciturn people like Akira, I can't help but be cautious around them.'

"Yeah!" Li said enthusiastically. "Shindou is such a nice person! We met looking at this cool sculpture of a go board, and he says he plays some go too! When I said he could come along and meet you, he sounded so...happy and excited he was just speechless with awe!"

Hikaru scowled. 'This person needs to get things right...it's not awe, it's complete and utter panic!'

"If Shindou knows some go, then he's probably very excited to meet you, Isumi! Let's go out for lunch and have a few matches afterwards! Oh, and he has these awesome looking blond bangs, they look so vibrant! Show him, Shindou!"

Hikaru felt like sinking into the pavement. 'It was a stupid antique store! Why in the world is Isumi-san here!'

"Ah," Isumi said, sounding sort of strangled. Hikaru thought that he was probably trying to convince himself that this was not happening. "Well, then, Shindou...Akira–" The pause between Hikaru's family name and supposed given name was very disconcerting, "–why don't we go out for sushi and talk."

Hikaru still hadn't said a word, knowing that even if Isumi hadn't figured it out by now – yeah, right – then his voice would definitely give him away.

"S–Shindou-san?" Isumi asked, voice still sort of choked up.

Trying to deepen his voice considerably, Hikaru murmured, "Um...I have to go and do something, you guys have fun, Li-san, Isu–"

Hikaru's phone started ringing.

"Gah! Akira's gonna kill me! His game is over by now!" Hikaru's outburst came out unexpectedly, and he groaned mentally, yet again, as soon as he spoke.

"Akira?" Li asked, sounding confused, at the same time that Isumi exclaimed, "Shindou? Shindou Hikaru?"

"Darn."

Li's hand was still firmly on his arm, and even as Hikaru tried to tug away, he knew that he probably wouldn't succeed in his weakened state. "Er...fine, it's me!" Hikaru yelled, wanting to find a wall to bang his head on. "Now...let me answer the phone, or the real Akira's gonna hunt me down! He called the police the last time!"

Li let go of his arm, still looking very befuddled with the whole series of events, but Hikaru saw Isumi-san grab his shoulder in an odd act of passion and instinct. "I'm not letting you disappear again, Shindou. Waya was completely devastated in his own way by your disappearance, and I'm not going to let you walk away," Isumi finished with a firm tone.

"Fine, fine," Hikaru sighed. "Hang on. I'm serious, you know Akira. Touya, I mean. Let me take the call."

"Promise you won't run," Isumi said, tugging off Hikaru's hood and looking into his emerald eyes.

"I promise," Hikaru sighed.

Isumi let go, and Hikaru saw him take Li to the side, probably to tell him that he had other things with Hikaru to take care of. The semi-blond didn't see how he was getting out of this one.

'And the whole Yeongha/Suyon thing isn't even finished either,' Hikaru thought mournfully.

His ring tone stopped.

"Aw, no!" Hikaru yelled, catching the attention of several people passing by him on the pavement. Quickly, he pulled out his cell phone, the one that Akira had ordered him to always have with him to accept Touya's calls. And Hikaru distinctly remembered Akira threatening to lock him up if he didn't answer the other teen's calls. Especially since Akira learned to use the phone just so he could keep an eye on Hikaru at all times.

Hikaru hit the first button on his speed dial, and the only number, really, and watched slightly absentmindedly as Isumi finished talking to Li, and the Chinese tourist left, and Isumi pulled out his own phone, all the while watching Hikaru carefully.

'Oh no. Isumi-san's probably calling Waya, and that means complete and utter chaos. And if I run now, I have a feeling that Isumi-san is just going to chase me down. Also, if I don't call Akira back immediately...' Hikaru shuddered at the thought of what might happen to him. 'I'm so dead. Kami-sama, why do you hate me so much?'

Hikaru listened as the other end was picked up barely a nanosecond into the first ring.

"HIKARU!"

If Isumi-san had any doubts that the person he found was Shindou Hikaru – which he didn't – then that would've cleared all doubts. It was definitely Touya Akira on the other end of the line, and only Shindou Hikaru could make the Touya sound like he was going to kill someone and have fun doing it.

"...hai?" Hikaru said into the speaker, hesitant.

"You..." Isumi-san had finished his call, and Hikaru saw him watch fascinatingly at the murderous undertone that Touya Akira's voice now held.

"You...you were in a hospital two days ago! What is wrong with your mind? People rest after they get out of the hospital, they don't disappear where worried friends can't find them!"

'Akira's voice is so loud that Isumi -san can hear every word,' Hikaru sighed.

"Answer me! Where in the world are you? I'm going to come find you, sit there and don't move!" Akira exclaimed, fiercely upset.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Hikaru made soothing noises.

"You are not fine! With you're luck, you're going to black out again and kill yourself in the middle of the road!" Hikaru could just imagine Akira's aquamarine eyes glaring heatedly at him.

And, from Isumi's horrified expression, Hikaru had a feeling that he could still hear Akira's words.

"I didn't really black out...my legs were feeling numb-ish, so I technically would have just crumpled. The only reason I blacked out was because my head managed to hit to hit the stupid table. If it wasn't right there, I would've been perfectly fine," Hikaru said, not noticing Isumi's eyes grow bigger and bigger.

"You were bleeding! You're lucky that you didn't get a concussion! By the way, are you wrapping your head wound properly?" Akira said. At Hikaru's silence, he continued, "That can get infected, and kill you! What in the world are you doing?"

"I didn't hit my head that hard. And it's not even bleeding anymore!"

"That doesn't mean that you can just leave it unattended!"

"I have bigger problems than an infected head wound right now! Especially since it isn't even infected, or really a head wound. It's just a scrape!" Hikaru shot back.

"What have you gotten yourself into now?" Akira hissed.

The phone was gently taken out of Hikaru's hand. "Er, Touya-san?"

Akira stopped his tirade. "Hai, who is this?"

"Isumi 3-dan," Isumi answered. "I've run into Shindou at an antique store, and we're going to go get some sushi. Would you like to come along?"

"Err, yes, please."

"Great. How about we meet at the sushi shop three streets down from the Go Institute?" Isumi queried, voice frightfully calm.

"No!" Hikaru protested. "That's too close to the Institute, and Waya loves to go to that one!"

"He will be joining us for lunch," Isumi said. "If you'd like, we can go to the one across town, though."

"That would be fine," Akira's voice sounded through the phone, now on speaker-phone.

"Thank you," Isumi said, with a nod Akira couldn't see. "I'll let Waya know, and we can meet up in front of the Go Institute."

"No!" Hikaru yelled. "Akira, meet me back home. I think Sa - our friend might want to have some sushi too, and I think he's home, since he probably finished his game by now."

"Well, I do need to dress your wounds...," Akira trailed off.

"...I hit my head, I didn't go through a war, Akira," Hikaru rolled his eyes. "But sure. You'll probably get there before me, just let yourself in. Or knock on the door, S - our friend should answer."

"Hai. Bye."

"Bye," Hikaru said, before motioning for Isumi to cut the line.

The man did so, before turning his attention onto Hikaru. The semi-blond could feel Isumi's searching gaze, until it seemed to settle on the fading scrape that Hikaru had received. "Are you all right?"

"Yes," Hikaru replied, with a hesitant smile. "Err...we'd better get going, before Akira gets there and freaks out. He probably has my arrival time down by the second or something," Hikaru joked softly.

"Of course," Isumi answered sedately. "Let me call Waya, and let him know that we'll be meeting him in the other sushi shop."

"Ah...all right," Hikaru sighed mentally. This was going terribly. Again. 'I have the worst luck,' he thought. 'Either that, or sushi shops really hate me. Or, perhaps, Fate is just...screwing me over. Several times. Again.'

Isumi talked quickly on the phone, telling the phantom person – Hikaru was sure that it was Waya, both because Isumi said so and because the loud exclamations were most definitely from Waya – where to meet in two hours. With a final 'see you later,' Isumi hung up. "Should we go?"

"Sure," Hikaru answered easily, though he felt anything but relaxed. "Let's go."

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

**First chapter in 2011! Happy New Year's! **

**Anyways, thanks for all of the awesome comments. This chapter should solve a lot, if not all, of the mystery surrounding Hikaru's disappearance from the eyes of all who knew him. It also solved some of the enigmas of his health, and showed lots of protective, albeit sappy and overemotional and sort of awkward, Akira! And some of him on a warpath...but...eh, (:**

**Oh, the band-aid theory at the beginning of the story was prompted by a review from laelruin. Thanks for the idea, I could just imagine Akira saying that!**

**It seems Fate really does have it out for Hikaru...or maybe it's just me! Things are gradually progressing along, and this chapter is definitely a bit of a turning point.**

**Have a happy 2011, and I hope I'll update sometime before 2012! Just kidding.**

**Drop me a present? Give me a few comments on how to improve, and what you like or dislike. I'd really appreciate it, and it'll help me write this. Thanks! **

**Ja ne! **


	8. Chapter 8

The restaurant had a bright and happy atmosphere, and there were sounds of laughing families and friends sharing platters of sushi everywhere. A small pond filled with fish bubbled peaceably in the corner, something that Hikaru couldn't help but find odd considering the fact that they were, in fact, in a sushi shop.

There was soft music playing in the background, and a flamboyant sushi chef preparing fresh food at the counter that was in the shop. Waiters and waitresses moved around the room, and the general feel fo the place was very familiar and comforting.

That is, except for table number five. And, strangely, six and seven, since there was no one willing to sit next to the table of crazy teenagers and their one adult friend. After all, two of them were glaring heatedly at each other, though one of the was trying to dull his glare. Also, the one trying to dull his glare was staring disapprovingly at a blond-banged delinquent like child, with the rest of the group looking on, confused. They didn't exactly radiate a good aura...

Hikaru stared insistently at his pieces of sushi, adamantly ignoring the four questioning pairs of eyes on him. 'This isn't happening. This isn't happening. I'm going to wake up, be in my country house, and discover all of this was a horrible nightmare. Yup.'

"Hikaru?" Said teen decided to avoid responding to the voice. "Hikaru..."

"Yes?" Hikaru looked up through his bangs, and met aquamarine eyes with a minute flinch. "Err...you want to know how I got into this mess, right?"

His question was taken by rhetorical, if Akira's twitch was anything to go by.

"Well...heh...heh...err...," Hikaru stammered, at a loss for words. He paused for another moment, and sighed.

"Hikaru? Remember the whole bandage theory that we had an discussion about?" Akira murmured, voice quiet and polite.

Hikaru grimaced. Whenever Akira sounded like this, it usually meant immense pain on his end of the rope and no go games. That was just...cruel of the other teen.

"Let's see...fine. Err...Sai, congratulations on passing the pro exam," Hikaru grinned sincerely, if a bit sheepishly, and held the package he had out to Sai.

He ignored Waya's gape.

"Hikaru?" Sai asked, peering curiously at the box. "You shouldn't have. There was no need for such a thing."

"Eh, it's not like I have much to do anyways...though I never imagined that this would happen."

Akira's deadly stare brought on a sense of desperation in Hikaru. "Akira...this is Waya and Isumi-san."

Despite the fact that Akira looked incredibly murderous, he managed to smile politely and nod at Waya and Isumi, even when Waya glared back at him. It seemed that Waya's infamous dislike of the prodigy hadn't lessened in the two years that Hikaru was gone. Isumi nodded back, equally polite.

"Geez, you guys would be tons of fun at parties, no?" Hikaru quipped.

He shrank away from Akira at the intensification of his glare.

"O~k...err...as you can see, Akira, I went to go and get a gift for Sai –" Cue Waya's disbelieving stare. "–for passing the pro exams. Though...I managed to bump into this guy called Le–"

"Li, Shindou-san," Isumi interjected politely.

"Er, yes, Li. And we were shopping in the same store, and managed to start talking about go. And then he was ranting about this awesome go player that he knew, and I couldn't run away fast enough..."

Akira sighed. "Why is it that you get into all of these things, Hikaru? How long has it been since you appeared again? Definitely less than a month."

Hikaru shrugged meekly. It had been less than a month, but he wasn't about to go and declare it to someone that looked like he wanted to murder the blond-banged teen. "Well...there's Touya-sensei, and your mom, I guess...Ko...and Suyon. I think that's about it. Oh, and Waya and Isumi-san now."

"Right. And six people in less than a month. How do you do things like this, Hikaru?" Akira asked, slumping into his chair. "You're going to give me gray hairs."

Waya's, "If you don't have them already, you boring person," was completely ignored, except for a jab in the stomach by Isumi.

"Sorry, Akira," Hikaru said, grinning at his friend. "I could always go back to my house if I'm bothering you..."

"No way," Akira retorted, and Hikaru couldn't help but smile.

"Figured. But I had to try. Are you sure I'm not putting too much stress on you?"

Someone's – Waya's – throat was cleared nosily, and Hikaru turned his attention back onto his (previously) insei friends.

"Oh. Um...," Hikaru stammered upon the reminder of his very real friends, and a pregnant pause filled their table before Sai broke it.

"Hikaru, you should introduce me to your friends," Sai's voice washed comfortingly over Hikaru.

"Ah. Yes...err, Waya, Isumi-san, this is Fujiwara n – Sai."

"Fujiwara 'n Sai?" Waya asked, voice skeptical. "Like...his name is Fujiwara and Sai?"

Hikaru winced. Trust Waya to ignore the fact that this person was named Sai and focus on his slip of tongue. "No, Fujiwara Sai actually."

"Wait...," Waya murmured.

Akira sighed. 'Why must I always deal with these sorts of situations?' He motioned for a waiter, and handed him the check, waving off Hikaru's offer of money. "We should probably be having this discussion somewhere more private," Akira said, turning a blind eye to Waya's scowl. "If you would like, do feel free to visit Hikaru's house."

"Hey!" Hikaru pouted, swatting at his friend. "Since when can you just invite people to my house. Then again, you're practically living there, and you're feeding me every time you come..," he trailed off.

Akira's glance pointedly told him, 'Do you want to have this conversation in a sushi restaurant of all places?'

Hikaru sighed, before turning to his friends. "You're...very welcome at my home."

Seeing Waya's skeptical look, he amended, "I would prefer to avoid the entire conversation, not your company. I missed you two."

Isumi smiled and nodded. "And we've missed you as well."

The semi-blond grinned, before he mused, 'Waya is very quiet today. It's out of character...well, I suppose two years can change a person. It did me, after all, in various ways.'

"Great. Let's go," Sai beamed, the expression looking decisively childish on his elegant face.

Waya exchanged glances with Isumi, before the two of them rose in a fluid motion and followed Sai, who was already bounding out the door.

Akira was moving towards the door as well when he noticed out of the corner of his eye that Hikaru reached for the table as he stood, fingers clinging on the edge. He was about to brush it off as an odd quirk – for Hikaru surely had plenty of those – but Akira thought twice when Hikaru swayed dangerously.

Moving to Hikaru's side despite the fact that most of their party was now outside, Akira's hands fluttered, and worried aquamarine eyes met Hikaru's.

Answering Akira's unspoken question, Hikaru murmured, "I'm fine. Don't worry about it. We'd better get going, before Sai gets in some type of trouble."

The taller teen moved to stop the semi-blond, but Hikaru just brushed him off, though he smiled softly. "I really am fine. And if we leave Sai alone with Waya for more than a few moments, or if they get to the house before us, I have a feeling that we'll have to find somewhere else to live."

Akira frowned. Upon Hikaru's warm eyes, he sighed. "If you feel any worse, don't ignore it. Tell me, and we can always speak with Waya-san and Isumi-san another day. If I found out that you over exerted yourself and 'passed out' again..."

Hikaru nodded. "I'm fine. Let's go."

They walked out of the warm restaurant, and the sounds of the bustling shop died away.

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

By the time Hikaru reached his front door, he was feeling more than a little woozy. Despite the fact that the entire place seemed to be spinning rapidly, Hikaru gritted his teeth, and stubbornly reached into his pocket for his keys. Grasping them, he gingerly held them out to the door, frowning when there seemed to be two keyholes.

"Hikaru?" Akira unconsciously frowned, sensing his friend's distress in the way that he always did, and wasn't even personally sure how.

"I'm fine," Hikaru replied automatically.

This time, Akira wasn't the only one to scowl.

"Hikaru, hand me the...door-opening device," Sai said, holding a hand out for the keys, while gently grasping Hikaru's wrist with his other hand, reveling in the fact that he could do so.

Akira nodded at Sai – albeit still rather frostily – and grabbed Hikaru's other arm.

Isumi and Waya looked on, still unsure of what exactly was going on, and what they should do given the situation. Isumi moved in to help the two, but Hikaru waved him off. "I'm fine."

Akira rolled his eyes at Hikaru's response, and bit back, "No you're not."

Waya stared at the go prodigy in a horrified fascination.

Hikaru sighed. "I'm just a bit dizzy." He relinquished his keys to Sai, and nodded at the visiting duo. "You guys don't mind if I went and rested a bit?"

Isumi shook his head immediately, and told his friend, "You should go rest if you're not feeling well. Whatever we have to talk about isn't more important than your health."

Waya nodded, though he looked like he really wanted to know what was going on.

"Great," Hikaru smiled, and stumbled in through the door that Sai had managed to open. "I'm just going to go and lay down for a bit, we can talk about this–" Hikaru gesticulated, clearly talking about the whole situation, "–later. Feel free to make yourselves at home."

Half walking, half stumbling towards the room that the futons were in, Hikaru sent one last grin at his friends.

Waya watched in morbid curiosity as Touya scowled, and hurried after Hikaru. "Sai, please talk care of our guests," he murmured over his shoulder, before chasing after the blond-banged teen.

Sai blinked as the two fo them left, and he found himself facing the two – previously – insei children that had been Hikaru's friends throughout much of his 'life' by Hikaru's side. "Err...want to play go?"

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

Hikaru scowled moodily as he stared upwards. 'I knew I should've just stayed in that house that appeared out of nowhere...sure, that sounds really creepy, but at least I wouldn't have had to deal with everyone in the world coming after me.'

Light colored eyes forming a glare, he muttered, "This is your fault, isn't it? You...go no kami-sama (_god of go_)."

Akira, sitting back against the wall in a surprisingly casual position, sighed. "You can't blame that poor soul for everything that happens to you. And you're supposed to be resting. You're paler than normal. Have you been eating at least two meals a day? And by that, I do mean _eating_."

Hikaru echoed Akira's sigh, and shot back, "I do not blame everything on the god of go. I just...blame my go related things on him...her...whatever."

"Everything you do is related to go, Hikaru. You find go the answer to all your problems," Akira deadpanned. "And don't change the subject. How are you feeling?"

Sticking out his tongue childishly at Akira, Hikaru sat up, ignoring Akira's attempts to make him lay back down. Seating himself next to his friend, he said, "I'm all right. I was feeling sort of dizzy, and my legs were feeling a bit numb, which was why I was sort of teetering. And yes, I have been eating."

The straight-haired teen reached for the blanket that covered the futon, and managed to tuck it over Hikaru. "Stop moving. If you have to sit up – which you shouldn't be doing – at least keep a blanket on." Akira frowned at Hikaru's short-sleeved T-shirt and shorts. "And your definition of eating is flawed. Eating as in meats, vegetables, and decent amounts of carbohydrates. Ramen doesn't count is eating. I didn't see you consume a bite of your sushi earlier."

Hikaru stuck his head into the warm quilt, and his reply was muffled. "I have been eating, I just wasn't really hungry." Eyes peeking out to look at Akira, he continued, "I'll snack on some crackers later. Are you sure that it's safe to leave Sai with Isumi-san and Waya? Sai is incredibly intelligent, but he has this naivety that makes me worry."

Akira wondered if Hikaru knew how much the go pro thought it applied to his equally genius counterpart. After all, Hikaru was in no way unintelligent – most of the time, Akira's mind supplied – but he had this idiotic part of him that believed he had to be brave and stoic when it was about his own health.

"Sai will be fine," Akira answered, still feeling cold towards the man that Hikaru sacrificed so much for, even if it technically wasn't Sai's fault. "I know where you're coming from, but I don't think Isumi-san and Waya-san will get him to say too much. He probably knows that this is a discussion that we should have together."

Hikaru looked a bit worried, but he nodded in acceptance.

"Now rest," Akira gave Hikaru an impressive glare, one that would have thoroughly cowed the shorter teen should it not be a daily occurrence.

The blond-banged teen smiled, and shifted back onto his futon, tugging the quilt with him. "You can go back if you'd like," Hikaru said as he was lying down. "Nine chances out of ten they're playing go right now, because Sai has no idea how to entertain them."

"I am fine here. Besides, you are just trying to get me out of the room so you can avoid resting." Akira's voice resounded with a tinge of reproach.

Hikaru grinned. "You think so little of me?"

"Would you like me to list the occasions in which you ignored my suggestions regarding your health and ended up collapsing from exhaustion, even before your illness progressed?"

Lying on his side, Hikaru gave an uncharacteristic smirk. "That would take you until tomorrow."

Akira just sighed, and stood up. "I'm going to get a book, I'll be right back. If you think of moving an inch out of that futon, you'll get it when I come back. I won't play go with you for a month."

Hikaru smiled, before he shut his eyes. He really was tired...

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

"So, Sai, what do you do for a living? Hikaru mentioned that you recently passed the pro exams, how long have you been playing go? How many games did you lose in the exam?" Waya shot off question after question, and the poor object of his inquiries was beginning to look incredibly overwhelmed.

Or so Akira had noticed when he went back to the living room to get his book. 'Perhaps Hikaru was right and it wasn't the best idea to leave Sai with someone like Waya-san...,' Akira mused, lifting his book off the side table.

Feeling a sudden spike of anger at the man with dark long hair, Akira left the room anyways. He knew he was being quite irrational, and part of him was ashamed at his recent behavior towards the go genius, but one thought about the prone figure of his best friend lying on a futon scattered any guilt.

'Sai could fend for himself,' Akira decided. 'Watching over Hikaru and making sure that he doesn't overexert himself, again, is more important.'

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

"_You are sure that you are all right with this? His time is technically up, and if you didn't hold your mind as the bargaining chip I would never even think of doing anything like this."_

"_I am." a second voice replied to the figure shrouded in mist, the companion that he was speaking with._

"_There's no going back after this point," the first voice warned. "If you let this continue any farther, I don't believe even I could save you."_

"_I know."_

"_The damage done to your nervous system would kill you slowly, and you know the risks any type of treatment has. The spells of weakness will come on and off, as you steadily get worse."_

"_I know."_

"_You–"_

"_I know. You don't have to keep repeating it. I know what I'm getting into, and I don't mind."_

_The first voice sighed heavily, and told the second, "If you're sure."_

"_I am. Thank you for giving me time with him."_

"_I didn't nothing of that sort," the first voice replied gruffly. "It was because of your own will that you're still alive, and was able to see him."_

_The second, shorter, figure smiled softly, and answered, "Thank you."_

_The shrouded figure nodded. "Spend your time with them wisely, for it will likely be decades before you see any of them afterwards."_

"_And I wouldn't have it any other way."_

_Shrouded in the misted cloak, the first figure nodded again, and vanished. _

"_And that's that," the remaining teen smiled, before he too disappeared._

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

Akira shot up. He blinked his rapidly, tears flowing out of them for apparently no reason whatsoever. Reaching a hand up to brush at his watering eyes, he was surprised to feel someone else's hand bring up a tissue to dab at his eyes.

"You okay?" a voice that Akira recognized as Hikaru's asked softly. "Sorry, did I wake you?"

Mind slow from the disconcerting dream? nightmare? Akira frowned. "Was I sleeping?"

Hikaru laughed quietly, and nodded. Akira noticed that he was tucked comfortably against the wall, a soft pillow behind him and a warm quilt around his body. Finally coming to his senses, Akira scowled. "Why aren't you in bed? What happened?"

"I slept for awhile, and when I woke up a bit later I saw that you fell asleep," Hikaru explained, and Akira saw how the other teen was seated on the now uncovered futon, legs crossed. "Apparently you fell asleep while you were reading your book. Is it that boring?"

"I'll have you know that was a book of Ogata-sensei's kifu, a gift for my–"

"Yes, yes. That just proves my theory that he's a shabby go player, and a pedophile on top of that," Hikaru cut Akira off flippantly. "I told you."

Akira scowled. "Ogata-san is an accomplished go player, and he certainly does not have fetishes towards–"

"_Anyways_, I was going to try and push you onto the futon, but it didn't work very well," Hikaru explained sheepishly.

Akira couldn't help but worry that it was due to Hikaru's failing health.

"So I took the pillow and the blanket, and you slept...for four hours."

"What? Four hours!"

"Yup. You looked like you were having a nightmare, so I was going to wake you up."

"Aah. Thanks. Wait...why were you out of bed anyways? The point of this whole exercise was for you to rest, and as it is, I doubt you got more than an hour of sleep," Akira scolded. "You could've woken me."

"Yeah, and you'd be too high strung to go back to bed no matter how tired you were," Hikaru rolled his eyes. "Things have been wearing down on you too, haven't they?"

Akira felt a flush of warmth at Hikaru's concern. It wasn't often that he interacted with those his own age, and Hikaru's gentle show of concern touched him. And it hurt all the more to know that the time he spent with the semi-blond idiot was limited.

"I'm fine," Akira swallowed, casting his gaze to his blanket clad legs.

"That's my line," Hikaru pouted. "You should take care of yourself first. Be more careful about your own health."

Akira stared at Hikaru, awed by the irony of the entire situation. "_The_ Shindou Hikaru, telling me that I should rest and take care of myself?"

Hikaru flushed, and glared at Akira. "Just go back to sleep."

"...Hikaru?"

Akira's hesitant tone caught Hikaru's attention, and he turned back to his best friend. "Yes?"

"Did...did you, by any chance, speak with the god of go again after that original discussion?"

"No." The shortness and quickness in which Hikaru responded told Akira otherwise.

"Hikaru..." Akira murmured, the dream that he had vivid in his mind. "You didn't, by any chance..."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Hikaru."

"I...It's nothing you have to worry about, Akira. Take care of yourself. I'll be fine. Go back to sleep," Hikaru instructed. "It's almost dinnertime now anyways, and I believe Sai has asked Waya and Isumi-san to come back here early tomorrow. I'll call your parents and let them know you'll stay with me for the night."

"I'm moving in."

"Huh? Oh, sure...where did I put your parents' number again? Let's see..."

"Hikaru, I'm moving in with you."

"That's nice..."

"Hikaru!" Akira irritably waved a hand in front of Hikaru's eyes, and the other teen finally stopped.

"Sorry, what did you say?"

"I'm moving in with you!"

"...What?" Hikaru exclaimed, dropping the small notebook that he was holding. "Why now? And you can't live here!"

"Why?" Akira looked a little hurt at the blatant refusal.

"Because you're this troublesome, and you don't even live here! Imagine the horror if you actually spent every extra moment of your life here! Imagine what would happen to me if you were constantly here! I'd never even be able to play go, or even get off of my futon for that matter!"

Akira scowled.

"Wait...that's what you do anyways. You practically live here anyways...and I have a cupboard full of your stuff. How many nights did you actually sleep at your house in the last week?" Hikaru asked.

"...Once."

Hikaru smacked his head on his palm. "Well then. Fine, move in. It'd save you the trouble of actually going back home to find clean clothes."

Akira smirked quite uncharacteristically. "Glad we agree."

Hikaru sighed, but grinned back at Akira. "You'll have to tell your parents though."

"..." An image of a teary mother and a stoic looking father flashed suddenly in Akira's mind. "Err...don't worry, it's not like Touya-sensei will disown you or something. You're just moving in with me. Not that you're actually at home much anyways, with all that you worry."

Akira resisted the urge to take it all back, and hide. No, that would be improper of him. It was his duty as a son to inform his parents of the monumental jump outside of their protective nest, and thank them for the tender, loving care that he had received for so many years, and–

"Here, I've taken the jump for you!" Hikaru grinned at Akira as the taller teen was suddenly handed the phone.

"Wait, Hikaru, I can't talk now! I have no idea what I'm going to say, and–"

"Akira, is that you? Are you all right? It's late, are you coming home tonight?" Touya Akiko's voice came out over the phone.

Akira watched as Hikaru smirked from the sidelines. This was obviously payback for springing the moving In thing on Hikaru, and just because it provided the semi-blond amusement.

...Akira resisted the urge to do something very inappropriate and rude.

"Mother."

"Yes? Do you need something, Akira?"

"Err..." How in the world could he tell his loving mother that he was moving out over the phone? It was just not done. Akira glared heatedly at Hikaru. "There's something I need to tell you."

"Yes?"

"Err..."

'Bandage theory,' Hikaru mouthed at him.

Akira scowled. "Mother...I-I'm...err...That is, could I..."

At that moment, Hikaru decided to save him. Or shove him of the virtual cliff. Akira was sure that it was the latter as Hikaru casually took the phone from him, and said, "Can Akira move in with me?"

As Akira waited in baited silence for the house to go up in flames or the world to explode, Hikaru nodded serenely. "Of course. As is expected. That's no problem whatsoever. I'll be glad to. Thank you, Touya-san."

When he hung up, the thought that Hikaru was still ill barely kept Akira from tackling him. "What were you thinking? Wait, never mind that, what did my mother say? Did she say no? What happened?"

"Relax."

"How can I relax?" Akira's voice elevated another notch.

"Your mom said sure. Well, in more eloquent words, but she was glad that you were moving out."

"WHAT? My own mother wants to get rid of me?" Akira stared helplessly at Hikaru, feeling overwhelmed by his rash actions.

"No, no. She said that she was sad to see you go, but was glad that you were 'expanding your social horizons', in her words. She wanted me to take care of you, though I have a feeling that she's got our roles reversed...and she asked me if I needed anything," Hikaru answered with a smirk. "Though I am a bit curious, your mother is letting you move out at the age of fifteen? And with me, of all people?"

"My mother knows that you live with Sai, who is a legal adult. Sort of...excluding the fact that he had no papers whatsoever, he is legally over eighteen. And since I am technically a working adult, with my pro career and all, despite the fact that most of the funds are placed in a bank...that, and personally, I have a feeling my mother thinks I'm too reserved."

The, "Oh, why ever would she think that?" was ignored.

"That, and Father has been giving glowing reviews of Sai, despite the fact that it was just that one game...my mother thinks they're lifelong friends, by the way Father is describing him."

Hikaru grinned. "Sai wants to play a match with your father, but I asked him to wait until I get all these affairs with Ko Yeongha and Suyon, and now Waya and Isumi-san, settled down. So your father should probably expect Sai knocking on your door someday, out of the blue."

Akira nodded. "Father would like that. So it's settled? I'll pack up my things and move in?"

"Yup! Sai can have his own room, I guess. Remember that room that had to be fumigated? Some cleaning should get it fit to live in...after I move out a goban or two, and adjust the arrangement of my kifu, and find those glowing fish a new home."

Akira resisted the urge to place a hand on his forehead. "Does resting ring a bell?"

"Or if you'd like, you can move into that room and I can room with Sai like I do. Or–"

"Hikaru! Sleep. I'll take care of the cleaning and organization, you sleep. I will make sure that Sai settles in the other room properly." Akira thought quietly to himself, 'I'm not going to let Sai harm you again, even if it is unconsciously. I am not going to allow you to be hurt, Hikaru. If it takes me moving in, then so be it.'

Hikaru sighed. "I'm going to whip up something quick for dinner, and then we can _all_ go to sleep, okay? And I'll go with you to retrieve your stuff tomorrow. Actually, you have a lot of clothes here, and an additional set of personal belongings here anyways...you might want to check for anything you need though."

"You sleep. I will attempt to create a meal."

Hikaru rolled his eyes. "If you cook like you talk, you're going to burn my house down."

"Hey! I'll have you know that I am a sufficiently well-educated cook. And there is nothing amiss with the way I speak!"

"Oh? So you don't think before you speak, and take every step slowly?"

"..."

Hikaru grinned as he pushed himself off the floor. Akira's sharp eyes detected a mild wince. The taller teen wasn't sure whether it was discomfort from sitting cross-legged to long, or some other symptom. Akira scowled. He stood up as well, and began heading towards the door.

"I will make dinner."

"But–"

"Rest. Play a game with ... Fujiwara-san. Do something that does not require much physical energy. I will have dinner prepared in a few moments."

Hikaru sighed. "Shouldn't you be resting too?"

"I shall rest after we eat. I'll make something simple, it should be done in a couple of minutes. Now stop exerting unnecessary energy and rest."

With a final glare accentuating his statement, Akira strode purposefully out of the room.

Hikaru smiled softly, and allowed himself to collapse bonelessly back against the wall. With a slightly trembling hand, he grabbed the quilt and wrapped part of it around him. Perhaps a few minutes of quiet would do him good after all, as much as he loathe to admit it.

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

"Akira-kun?"

The Touya stopped in his gentle stirring of the potage that was boiling slowly on the stove, and cast a quick glance over his shoulder before he continued, for fear that it might burn. "Yes, Fujiwara-san?"

"I...Is there something that you would like to let me know, Akira-kun?"

"No."

"But–"

"I don't want to speak with you right now. I will apologize in advance for my lack of manners," Akira answered shortly, stubborn dark colored eyes staring into the food. He knew very well how incredible rude he was being, and could not help but feel ashamed of himself, regardless of whether or not his disposition was justified.

Either way, he had been brought up better than that, and acting so coldly and with no regard to Fujiwara-san's feelings was against his upbringing.

Feeling a sharp pang of guilt, Akira chased it away with thoughts of Hikaru in the next room, exhausted, pale, and weak. "Now if you will excuse me." Akira turned off the heat and carefully took out three bowls, three sets of chopsticks, and a large ladle. Arranging the items carefully, Akira brushed past Sai as he placed the food on the table.

Ignoring the fact that he did feel bad for his brash and impolite behavior, Akira scowled. 'It is not unwarranted,' he reasoned. 'It is his fault that Hikaru is d-dy-sick, and his fault that HIkaru is suffering.'

He dutifully cast away the part of Akira's mind that berated him for his obtuseness and insensitivity, the part that screamed it was Hikaru's choice.

"He wouldn't have to make that decision if it wasn't for Sai. He wouldn't be ill if it wasn't for that man. It's his fault," Akira mutter to himself as he strode down the hall, unaware of the long-haired man observing silently with a growing horror from the kitchen doorway.

"Sai is to blame for the fact that Hikaru chose to–It's his fault." With that, Akira glared at the floor, and nodded to himself. 'It _is_ his fault.'

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

**How's that for a chapter? Yes, it is quite short for my chapters, but I want to get it out to you guys, especially with my ridiculously long absence, and it seemed like a good place to end it. Anyways, quite a few things are coming forward, and I hope a few questions have been covered and plot line caves explored.**

**I will be starting the next chapter as soon as I publish this one, so I hope to get that one out soon!**

**And ... I'm speechless. You guys are awesome! 21 reviews for the last chapter! Wait...that's a whole lot of chapters I owe you for a chapter every ten reviews...I will get writing!**

**Please do keep providing my feedback, it really helps with both adjusting plot quirks, catching mistakes, and boosting my morale. Be sure to let me know if you spot anything that you like, or anything that you'd like to see me improve on. **

**Thanks to all those that have read, subscribed, and reviewed. **

**See you next time!**


	9. Chapter 9

It was a relatively calm and peaceful day. There were sparrows chirping outside, and the residents of the apartments in the serene building were all sleeping, for it was only five in the morning. The sun was shining, and it seemed that nothing could disturb the quiet peacefulness of the street, with its large trees, and-

"SHINDOU! OPEN THIS DOOR! LET ME IN, I GOTTA TALK WITH YOU! HURRY UP, OR DON'T BLAME ME IF I BREAK YOUR DOOR DOWN!"

Well, that is, until one piercing voice echoed throughout the entire building, waking up several of the people living in its apartment complexes. But that was easily ignored-

"SHINDOU! I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE, IT'S FIVE O'CLOCK! OPEN THE DOOR!"

By now, several of the residents of the previous peaceful building were ready to go and beat the source of the sound over the head with a hammer. Lucky for the source of the noise, one bleary looking Touya Akira managed to drag himself out of bed and get to the door.

Or, at least for the ears of the poor residents, unluckily.

"TOUYA! WHY ARE YOU IN SHINDOU'S HOUSE?"

Clasping his hands to his ears, Akira managed not to glare at Waya Yoshitaka. "Waya-san. It is five in the morning, and Hikaru is _sleeping_. Would you like to leave a message with me?"

"Why are you here?" Waya fumed.

"This is my new home. I am moving in with Hikaru today." Let it be said that such a long friendship with Hikaru did not leave Akira's sense of humor untouched.

"WHAT? Why are you moving in with Hikaru? Let me see him, now!"

"Waya-san. It is incredibly early, and Hikaru is still feeling ill. Please, do come back at a more reasonable hour, and let him sleep in."

The other teen shut up for a moment, before frowning. On one hand, he really wanted to know what in the world had happened with Shindou, now that the shock had worn off. On the other hand, Shindou was important to him, and he didn't want to disturb the other teen=s rest and health just for his anger.

"When will he be up?" Waya questioned in a more sedate voice, much to the relief and happiness of the other residents of Hikaru's building. "Could I...I don't know, sit in the living room or something until he wakes up?"

"No need, Waya," a voice behind Touya spoke up, heavily accented from sleep. "Come on in, have you had breakfast?"

"Hikaru! Go back to bed! Waya-san can wait."

Waya scowled heavily at Touya's easy dismissal of him, but one look at Shindou's tired visage quieted him. "...Go back to sleep, Shindou. Now that I think of it, I'd probably close my eyes for a bit too...I didn't sleep at all last night because my brain felt fried."

Hikaru smiled at the other boy, and swayed slightly. "Sorry, I'm really tired today, for some reason."

"It's because you haven't been getting enough sleep, and the lack of healthy foods and rest is wearing down on you," Akira chided. "Go back to sleep already. I will bring out a spare blanket and Waya-san can sleep on the spare futon until a more reasonable hour of the morning."

Ignoring the urge to say something rude to the go prodigy, Waya nodded.

"What spare futon?" Hikaru looked at Akira curiously.

"...that's right, I'm using the spare futon. We haven't retrieved mine from my house, have we? Perhaps you'd like to come back later, Waya-san."

By now familiar with Akira, Hikaru rolled his eyes. That was his intent all alone, to make Waya go away so that Hikaru could rest in peace, and without worry. Then again, it would be terribly impolite to tell a guest to get out, so it was a less direct method that most anyone would understand.

"It's all right. I'll just sit here."

Hikaru winced. Well, apparently anyone familiar with Touya Akira speech would get.

Hoping to act was a buffer between the oblivious Waya and Akira's rising temper, Hikaru smiled weakly at both of them. "Well then, I'll go pull something together, and we can have a–" yawn "–early breakfast. Sounds good, Akira, Waya?"

"No."

"Sure."

Hikaru sighed. "I'll be fine, Akira. I slept a lot last night."

"You did not really fall asleep until three in the morning."

The semi-blond scowled. "What have you been doing, monitoring my sleep patterns?"

"Yes."

Cue annoyance.

"Fine then," Hikaru pouted. "Waya, do you mind if we talk in...three hours or so?"

"Six hours."

"Akira! I'm not going to make him wait six hours, sitting in my living room! That'll be eleven o'clock already."

"You're supposed to be getting at least eight hours of sleep a night," Akira informed Hikaru, dark eyes held firmly on the other teen. "You didn't even sleep two. You need another six hours of sleep to function healthily, so you will go back to bed for at least another six, or I will be tying you to your futon."

Hikaru scowled moodily. As tired as he was – not that he'd ever admit it – leaving a guest waiting for him just hit Hikaru the wrong way. That, and the fact that Akira wanted him to sleep for a whole six hours more. And, of course, the threat to tie him up...

"Go to sleep, Shindou. Take Touya with you, or even better, throw him outside."

Hikaru rolled his eyes. If anything had changed between Akira and Waya, the latter's intense dislike of the former – encouraged by Morishita-sensei... – of the former hadn't. The semi-blond saw Akira twitch, but ignore the other teen. "Fine. Feel free to make yourself at home. There's a goban and kifu in one of the rooms, but if you'd like to sleep...," Hikaru glanced at the clock.

"Err, sleep sounds good," Waya answered, suddenly yawning. The adrenaline fueling his anger had apparently receded, and left the sleep deprived teen exhausted.

"Now that that's settled, sleep, Hikaru."

Waya watched as Touya literally dragged Shindou into one of the bedrooms and closed the door behind them. Sighing, frustrated at the fact that his early morning visit hadn't sated his curiosity any sooner, Waya sat on Shindou's couch and closed his eyes. Sleep wouldn't come easily for the anxious teen.

Three minutes later, he was out like a light. Well, perhaps it usually wouldn't, but he really was tired...

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

Hikaru lay on his back with a quilt tucked around him as he stared up at the ceiling of the room that all three residents were sharing.

Akira had his futon placed right next to his, and Hikaru would have thought it awkward if it wasn't for the fact that they often fell asleep at the goban when they played games too late into the night anyways, so the close proximity wasn't that much of a problem.

Besides, Hikaru had gotten quite close to the other boy, not that he'd never think something like that would happen when he walked into the go salon with its quiet little boy so long ago.

This Hikaru contemplated with a melancholic mind set. 'What will happen to him, once I'm gone?' Hikaru mused. 'I don't want to leave him alone, it wouldn't be fair. But Sai...they're both important to be in different ways. And I'm not sure what I can do to prevent hurting either of them. What I do know is that I've been feeling more off...like the god of go predicted, I suppose. I don't want to trouble either of them, and it's just not fair to Akira, to burden him with this, both the physical and emotional aspects.'

Smiling wryly at his thoughts, Hikaru sighed. 'What should I do? I don't want to leave them...but would my leaving make things easier for Akira? And Sai too? Sai doesn't really know what's going on yet, and he'll definitely flip out if he gets an inkling of suspicion about his reappearance and my illness. Not to mention everyone else. Perhaps I should run away and save everyone all this–'

"If you finish that though, I will personally escort you off a cliff," Akira hissed at him from his side.

Masking a look of surprise, Hikaru turned onto his side until he was facing the taller teen. "What thought? And aren't you supposed to be sleeping?"

"Hypocrite," Akira scowled at him, whispering as to avoid disturbing the other occupant of the room. "You're supposed to be resting too, not staring at the ceiling and thinking off bad, depressing, idiotic things."

"..."

"And no, I cannot read minds. The mere idea of that is ludicrous."

"..."

Akira smiled softly. "The look on your face is enough to tell me that you shouldn't be going down that route," he explained, shifting onto his side to meet Hikaru's warm eyes. "And if you ever think of running away again, I will follow through with that off the cliff suggestion."

Hikaru managed to smile weakly, looking at the other teen with a fragment of worry. "I...I'm sorry. But I seriously think that I am taking too much out of your life, Akira. You haven't been able to concentrate on your go, not really, and you've been suffocated with your go pro duties and taking care of me, and all the troublesome things I cause, and–"

He was stopped in the middle of that sentence when Akira gently but firmly clapped a hand onto Hikaru's mouth.

"Mmph!"

"Don't be stupid about this," Akira retorted sharply. "I want to help you, and it's not like you're letting me do much anyways. Playing matches with you helps my go immensely, and I don't _need_ to improve at my go in leaps and bounds."

Hikaru sighed. "But..."

"What?"

"It's nothing."

"Tell me, Hikaru. I want to be able to help you, and I can't if you're keeping everything to yourself. You've come clean with me, haven't you? Stop burdening yourself with everything," Akira glared heatedly at his friend. "Besides, you promised me that you wouldn't keep anything from me anymore."

Hikaru let out another soft sigh as he let his gaze drift from Akira onto the ceiling of the room. "I did say that...but..."

"Hikaru. Please. I want to help you." Akira's eyes shone with sincerity, enough that Hikaru felt a twinge in his chest at keeping things from the other boy, or at least not telling the immediate truth. And there was the nagging feeling of guilt, the conflicting emotions. Despite the guilt though, there wasn't any regret. They were both equally important, and what was done was done.

"I feel like I'm holding you back from something greater," Hikaru explained softly. "And I don't want to hurt you."

Akira's features softened. "You aren't going to hurt me. In fact, it pains me more when I realize that you would keep things from me. Don't you trust me?" Akira knew that was a low blow, but he wanted to drive home the point that Hikaru was important to the dark-haired teen, more precious than even go.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," Akira sighed quietly. "It's not your fault. And I can understand your decision, even if I don't agree with it at all, even if it's just because of...the result."

"I know," Hikaru whispered. "I'm sorry."

"Hikaru..."

"Go back to sleep. I'll be fine." The last part, to Akira, sounded more like Hikaru was reassuring himself rather than his friend. "I won't think of running away again, I promise...but you have to promise me something too."

Feeling a premonition of disaster, Akira whispered back, "What would that be?"

"You have to move on."

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

Akira was in a whirlwind. Not literally, of course. It was an emotional whirlwind, and he didn't think that the day could be any worse; the tragic part about the whole situation was the fact that it was only six o'clock in the morning.

Anyways, because of Hikaru's words before the semi-blond turned over and began to ignore him, Akira was feeling so tumultuous that he couldn't imagine anything worse happening.

Guilt. Guilty at the fact that his presence put so much stress on Hikaru, even if it was probably one of the few reasons the semi-blond hadn't worn himself out, Akira's calming personality, that is. Not that Akira knew that.

Pain. Even if he wasn't the one that was d-d-sick, Akira never could stand those he loved in pain, though the list had been surprisingly short before he met Hikaru, and even now it was still brief. Still, Akira's devotion and loyalty was unfading, and watching his best friend fade away, despite said friend's vehement attempts to hide it, greatly pained Akira.

And fear, blinding fear, among others. Akira wanted to scream at the unfairness of it all. This was _Hikaru_! He couldn't leave Akira, he just couldn't. The other teen was one of the few...okay, the only same-age influence in his life, and had grown near and dear to Akira, as sappy as it sounded.

Hikaru's presence was something that he depended on, just as much as Hikaru leaned on Akira and his calm, ever present strength.

But it was Hikaru.

And that should have explained everything.

Anyways, even with the multitude of emotions rushing through him, Akira managed not to throw something across the room when someone rang the doorbell _again_, at six. Akira hissed, and he heard a soft chuckle in the futon next to him.

There was a shuffle, and Akira saw that Hikaru had stood up. He also noticed that the other teen looked slightly unsteady on his feet. "Hikaru?"

"I'll get it," Hikaru whispered back, aware of Sai's sleeping form. "I don't trust Waya to not open the door to anyone and everyone without Isumi-san there."

Akira resisted the urge to scowl, something that he had grown very accustomed to. "Get back into that futon. You have five more hours of sleep to go. Six, since the hour that you had didn't count since you spent it brooding over the technicalities of life."

Hikaru grinned. "Come on, Akira~."

"No."

The semi-blond rolled his eyes. "I'm going to go get the door, before whoever's at it leaves. Wait here, in case it's a burglar or something."

Glaring, Akira nevertheless conceded – to the opening the door part, not the robber in the house part...

"Fine. Hurry up. But I don't care who it is, send them away. Or have them join Waya-san or something, because we're all going to sleep until after noon."

"Someone's grumpy without their sleep," Hikaru's voice lilted playfully. "Fine. I don't care if it's the god of go himself, I'll send him away for you."

Akira couldn't help but smile at Hikaru's dramatics. 'Something else I'll miss,' his mind supplied nastily, and Akira attempted to glower at himself. Hikaru gave him a weird look before he walked out of the room gingerly.

Akira sighed, and sat up in his futon. Knowing Hikaru, he was going to let whoever was at the door in anyways, and Akira probably wouldn't be able to do anything to stop him. Well, save throwing the guests physically out–

**SLAM!**

The contemplating boy flinched, and looked towards the bedroom door carefully. "It isn't like Hikaru to avoid being social," Akira whispered to himself. "Even if he is tired. I wonder what's going on with that..."

"Shindou! Open that door right now!"

That explained why the door had slammed so abruptly. For the voice outside the house belonged to one Ko Yeongha, and Hikaru never was afraid to express his dislike.

"Go away! I don't care!" Hikaru stormed back into the room, and Akira peered cautiously at him.

"Hikaru, it is not gentleman like to slam doors, let alone slam them on guests kind enough to be visiting you," a soft voice chided gently.

"Sai!" Hikaru turned around, and asked, "Did we wake you?"

"Answer the door, please, and let Ko-san know that we would be happy to receive him."

"No we would not," Akira interjected, and both the former ghost and his former inhabitant looked shocked that the polite to the point of painful teen would suggest such a thing. "I would, and am going to, ask them to come back in another six hours. Or at the very least let you rest properly."

"Touya-san is right, Hikaru, you should rest," Sai said.

Hikaru scowled. "I'm fine."

Akira twitched.

"But I'm not going to open the door. It's Ko Yeongha out there! Why in the world would I–"

"SHINDOU! IS THIS HOW YOU RECEIVE ALL GUESTS?"

The occupants of the room heard a grumpy groan, one that Hikaru assumed belonged to Waya. His theory was backed up by an angry shout. "SHUT UP ALREADY! I'M TRYING TO SLEEP!"

Hikaru winced. "They're going to get us kicked out of this house..."

"I–"

Luckily for everyone involved, Akira had gotten up and begun walking sedately towards the door. 'Or rather,' Hikaru mused, 'luckily for me and Sai. Not so much for Ko and Waya.'

Hikaru strained his ears, and along with Sai, waited for the house to explode. When all they heard were a few whispers and the door closing gently, they exchanged glances.

"Touya-san is scary," Sai whispered to Hikaru, very serious.

Hikaru grinned. "That Akira is. Though you should have seen him on that warpath that one time...Waya and Ko are probably going to get off easily...or rather, easily enough."

Before Sai could answer, Akira had gently opened the door to the bedroom again, and pointed at Hikaru's futon pointedly. "They will be sitting in the living room, waiting for us."

Hikaru raised an eyebrow.

Akira's cheeks tinged the lightest shade of pink, before he continued, "So sleep. You have five hours to make up, and if you don't sleep, I'll slip something in your food."

"You would drug me?" Hikaru asked in mock horror, and Sai smiled sedately.

"If you don't sleep, then yes. I've heard that some chamomile and lavender in tea makes the user quite calm...that, and I'm sure that the doctor–"

Hikaru scowled. "Fine. I'll sleep. You have Waya and Ko taken care of?"

"Yes," Akira answered. "Now go to sleep."

"But–"

"Now."

Hikaru got into his futon and slept.

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

Something was wrong. It didn't take a genius to know that, and Fujiwara no Sai was enough of a genius that not noticing that would be idiotic. Besides, why else would Touya-kun be whispering a heated argument with Hikaru in the middle of the night, particularly about the technicalities of life?

Why would Hikaru even be _thinking_ of things that Touya Akira would label "bad, depressing, idiotic things"? And what did Touya-kun know that even Sai himself was carefully kept unaware of?

Could this have something to do with the reason that Touya-kun was so upset with him? From what Sai had seen as a projection by Hikaru's side for that time, it was obvious that Touya Akira was not an irrational person, and it seemed unlikely for him to hold petty grudges against a man he had just met. Besides, it seemed that Touya-kun was perfectly fine with Sai when they first met, so obviously something had changed since then.

And what was that about Touya-kun "moving on"? Sai could sense that neither of the other two occupants of the room was asleep yet, and both were worried. The only times he remembered people talking about moving on was when talking about traumatic experiences, like losing loved ones. Why would Touya-kun need to move on? And why was Hikaru the one telling him to do so?

Something just wasn't right.

This…was a troubling mystery. One that Sai would get to the bottom of, and quickly, for he was quite worried about the pretenses set. What did this mean for Hikaru? Sai dreaded the answer, and even if he didn't know it yet, he could already hear the alarm bells screeching in his head.

Fujiwara no Sai didn't know what was going on, but he was going to figure it out, and fast.

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

When Hikaru woke again, it was to apologies muted by the closed door. Wincing as he stretched out, trying to get rid of kinks that had developed when he slept, Hikaru blinked sleepily. Standing up, and ignoring the uncomfortable twinges of stinging numbness – or at least what felt like such – Hikaru glanced at the clock.

"Noon?" Hikaru exclaimed softly in surprise. "That really was six hours..." He rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't be surprised if Akira did manage to find some way to help me sleep."

The person speaking in the other room caught his attention again, and he quickly ran through a few routines in the bathroom before changing into neater – and more guest-appropriate – clothing.

"Akira~," Hikaru grinned as he sang out, throwing open the bedroom door. "Where are you?"

He was lucky that Touya Akira was too polite to resort to throwing pillows.

"Idiot," the other teen nonetheless murmured, though fondly. "See how much good a few hours of sleep did?"

"No," Hikaru replied stubbornly. "You made me sleep until noon! All that go playing time, and kifu studying and–" He stopped his easy banter as he realized that his living room had a total of six people, excluding him, in it. Frowning, he lifted up a finger, and counted again. "Akira?"

"Yes?"

"Why are all these people here? Err, not that you're unwelcome of course," Hikaru added hastily. "Just...not all at the same time."

Akira scowled. "This is your fault."

"How is this my fault?" Hikaru pouted playfully as he grinned at Akira. "You're the one that insisted that throwing people out on the street was a bad thing to do…"

"And you're the one that let Waya-san and Isumi-san in."

"You let Ko and Suyon in," Hikaru retorted. "It's not my fault…"

Akira sighed. "Either way, they now all want to know what's going on. How do you plan on fixing this situation, hm, Hikaru?"

"Watch me," Hikaru smiled devilishly at Akira.

The taller teen felt a twinge of anxiety. The last time Hikaru had grinned like that he had disappeared for a week and the frantic Akira had almost called the police despite the fact that Hikaru wanted to remain hidden in his house…

"Oh, don't worry, Akira," Hikaru soothed in a controversial tone. "It won't be nearly as bad as that go convention fiasco."

"…wait, you went to a go convention while I was searching the entire countryside and resisting the urge to call the police and inform them that you had gone missing for a week? What happened to inconspicuousness, and taking care of your health?"

"Well, the go convention was in Taiwan, and I didn't know any go players from Taiwan…I even went in disguise so no one would recognize me! And I left you a note…"

Akira twitched in annoyance. He had received no such note, and he voiced his complaints.

"I did too! It was right next to my glowing fish."

Ignoring the urge to tear something apart, Akira calmly answered Hikaru, "Sorry if I was too busy to check on your inanimate fish to notice the note…and speaking of that, I visited you two days before the Taiwan convention! You had to have known that you were going then! Was it that hard to tell me so?"

"Err, actually I only found out about it five hours before it started, and I jumped on a plane right afterwards, or I wouldn't have made it on time."

"What about cell phones?"

"Err...anyways, I'm going to make lunch! Have fun with the explanations, Akira-chan!"

Hikaru disappeared through the doorway that led to the kitchen.

"…Touya-san? Are you all right?" a cautious Sai asked the younger boy gingerly.

He received no reply, and part of him was incredibly glad of that fact.

The group sat in tense trepidation – well, most of the group… - as Touya Akira flushed a red that contrasted sharply with his normally healthily pale features. He did look quite intimidating, and, once again, most of the group felt quite sorry for the object that managed to invoke his wrath. Namely, one Shindou Hikaru.

Then again, most of the group did want to evoke divine retribution towards the teen for the lack of contact during the past years, and what better and more convenient than the irate Touya Akira? So they sat, and waited for the infamous go prodigy to find some pointy object and go after the semi-blond.

A few of them – namely Waya – were slightly disappointed when Touya did no such thing. The prodigy simply took a few deep breaths, and turned to their guests. "If I could speak with Hikaru for a moment."

The way he said it made it clear that it was a statement and not much of a request.

There was a brief moment when Sai feared dearly for his young companion's life, but he quietly reassured himself. Touya Akira was a nice child, if … odd at times, and there was the whole blurry statement about Hikaru that Sai planned on confronting Hikaru about as soon as the guests left, and … anyways, Touya Akira was a good kid. He wouldn't slaughter—

A loud screech rang from the other side of the door.

"Surely not," Sai muttered softly to himself, gaining a few odd looks.

Thankfully, before Sai could stand up and go look for the missing teens in his worry, Akira came out with Hikaru meekly in tow, and the taller teen politely and sweetly asked, "Is it all right if I order takeout? We can all speak here while we wait, and lunch can be something we can easily consume while still communicating."

"You're speaking funny—" A glare cut Hikaru off.

"What was that, my dear friend?"

"Nothing…"

"That sounds reasonable, Touya-kun. I have no objections to it," Sai replied softly. He still wasn't sure why Touya Akira was treading so gingerly around him. And he figured that the only way he would find out was to ask Hikaru, but that didn't stop him from trying to save his younger friend some stress by using his own observations first.

The others nodded in silent agreement, as if aware that there was an important conversation that had to be held. Even Waya was quiet, sitting neatly besides Isumi-san.

"Very well. Are lunch boxes acceptable? I believe there is a shop a few streets over that delivers," Akira continued, calm and collected.

Nods answered him again.

"Then please give me a few minutes to place an order. Is there anything in particular that is wanted?"

Shakes of head. "Can we just get started and have Shindou explain already?" Waya asked with brazen words that caused Isumi to send him a gently chiding look.

"Of course. This phone call will only take a few minutes. That, and I am rather sure that this conversation will take well into lunchtime and afterwards, and I believe that no one would want to have Hikaru stop halfway through to eat."

"We could always skip lunch," Hikaru offered. "I think there are a few boxes of crackers here and there, and some cans of soup, and I'm sure they will suffice until dinner, if none of you are extremely hungry. Something light should work…"

"You are eating, Hikaru."

Hikaru pouted. "It's just a meal. And it's not like we aren't going to be eating anything…"

"Your appetite has dim—"

"Why don't I go call up that shop?" Sai asked quickly, hoping to avoid another infamous Touya-Shindou argument. "We can all relax for a moment until the food comes, and then we'll eat and have this discussion. Does that sound all right?"

There were hesitant sounds of agreement from the rather confused spectators all around.

"Great. Now, as Touya-kun had mentioned, is there anything that anyone specifically wants?" Sai continued, relieved at the two rivals' shouting having been ceased before it could really start.

A chorus of "no, not really" rang out, and Sai nodded. "Then I will quickly place the order and we can start conversing after we partake in the meal."

Hikaru snickered.

Sai pouted slightly, but left the room elegantly anyways.

"So," Hikaru broke the awkward silence, "who wants to play go?"

Akira groaned inaudibly. 'It appears that is Hikaru's solution to anything and everything…though it probably is a good one considering the fact that we are all go players here, and rather … enthusiastic one at that.'

Shrugging, the Touya nodded.

Hikaru beamed and immediately jumped out. "Great! I'll get the go boards!"

Silently, Akira wondered how many of those there really were in this house, considering who the people that lived here were.

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

He couldn't move. He couldn't breathe. In fact, it felt like the entire world was closing in on him, and the poor teen was trapped in between it all.

"Hikaru?"

Or not.

But hey, in Hikaru's protest, having four pairs of determined eyes – despite two pairs being less accusing and more curious (Isumi-san and Suyon) – was quite disturbing.

'It's your own fault,' his mind claimed vindictively. 'If you had been stubborn and chose to stay in your house, then they wouldn't have known where you are, and you wouldn't be in this situation anyways.'

'Wouldn't this situation be Akira's fault then?' Hikaru asked the little voice in him. Technically, I would have stayed there if he hadn't appeared and convinced me otherwise. And part of this is probably Sai's fault too. Akira wouldn't have actually had a valid argument otherwise.'

'You didn't exactly resist very strongly,' the voice asserted. 'Don't blame other people for your own lack of—"

"Hikaru? Are you okay?" Akira's voice broke him out of his thoughts. Idly, Hikaru wondered if having mental arguments with his own mind was a sign of insanity. Perhaps. But then again, it seemed that all go players were quite eccentric, especially on the professional level. 'I mean, c'mon, look at Ogata!'

"Shindou Hikaru!" The previously heard voice suddenly increased dramatically in volume, and Hikaru came back to his senses.

"Err…yes, Akira?" Hikaru felt a bit guilty as he heard a faint sigh of relief coming from the other boy.

"You were suddenly unresponsive," Suyon said quietly. "At first I wasn't sure if you were thinking, and organizing your thoughts, but Touya-san worried when he saw the blank look in your eyes. Are you all right?"

"Hm? Yes, just thinking. Sorry about that."

"Idiot," Akira murmured, but the tone was affectionate, if chiding. "What direly important thing were you thinking about? Be careful not to think too hard, or you'll break your mind." Akira smiled sweetly.

"Err…is arguing with yourself bad?"

Akira blinked. "Not…really, I suppose."

"Great!" Hikaru beamed, and Akira looked a little worried again.

Hikaru sighed softly, and brushed a long bang from his eyes casually. 'I'll have to cut them soon…,' Hikaru thought to himself.

"Hikaru?" The teen called looked up into warm dark colored eyes. "Are you truly all right? We can postpone this discussion if you are feeling unwell."

There were a few groans of protest, but it was clear they all agreed that Hikaru should rest if he was feeling ill. They were, after all, not heartless. "Hurry up and spit it out already, then you can collapse!" a brash Korean pro yelled. Well…

Suyon sent his friend a glare, and nodded.

"No, I'm fine. It's just…this is an odd subject for me to breach, and I'm trying to think of how to go at it," Hikaru answered. "Now…Sai, where do you think I should start? Perhaps…our past?"

Sai nodded. "I believe that would be most appropriate."

"Hm…fine. Well, guys, have you ever heard of an internet player on NetGo named 'sai'? Ridiculously strong, weird stalker like pedophiles smashing people into hospital walls when they are so_ kindly_ visiting now retired pros that had just had heart attacks just to find a hint of this go player…"

"…Ogata-sensei smashed you into a wall while you were visiting my father in the hospital?" Akira asked, eyes wide.

"Told you he was a good for nothing ped—"

"Hikaru!"

"Fine. But he is obsessed with Sai. Even if he isn't a—"

"Perhaps," Akira quickly cut Hikaru off. "Anyways, continue. And please, stay on topic."

"Wait, Japan has pedophilic go players that violate hospital rules?" Yeongha cut in.

Akira sighed. This would be a long, _long_ conversation.

"No, just Ogata. And maybe Kuwabara—"

A very long conversation indeed.

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**Once again, thank you for all the reviews. End of the year is coming up for me, and exams and final projects are swamping me, but I am quite sorry for the delay once again. I'm writing as fast as I can, I promise~! So, the conversation will _probably_ happen in the next chapter, along with some more drama…*smiles***

**But I hope you enjoyed this one, and, as always, thanks for all the loving support!**

**EDIT: Tried to post this yesterday when I finished it (5/15), but it didn't go through. Here's to it working this time…**

**EDIT2: And now it's messing up my format…oh dear…I'm going to mess around with it and see if it works out, but I don't know…**

**EDIT3: Ok, apparently the formatting issue was due to me switching Word programs while in between this chapter. I fixed it, with tons of carefully skimming and changging **_every _**quotation mark...but please, do let me know if you see any weird formatting, and I'll go back and fix it. On the bright side, I can post it now...:P**


	10. Chapter 10

The rather tense and dark silence shrouded the room. Hikaru shifted nervously in his seat, eyes glancing from person to person. He had finished the story up to Sai's disappearance, and no further. He wasn't sure how exactly this should be proceeded, and the daunting and terse silence around him made him anxious.

'What if they want to leave? What if they think I'm completely insane for believing this and that I should be committed or something? It really isn't all that bad, is it? And…it's not like the rest of the go pros have all their screws in place…'

Hikaru took a deep breath. 'What's the worst that can happen? …Maybe they'll call the police or something. That would be bad. What if they decide that I'm completely mental, and lock me up? What is they say they never want to see me again?'

"I never want to see you again!" Waya proclaimed loudly, and Hikaru's heart stopped. Waya had opened his mouth to continue, but two sets of deadly glares – one frosty and one frigid – stopped him in his tracks.

"Hikaru," Akira began, voice soft.

"Waya!" Isumi-san cried out at the same time, voice colored with disapproval.

"What? How dare he think that we'd abandon him because of such a stupid reason? Is that why you ran away? If it is, I'm going to beat you up! How could you think so little of us?"

The icy atmosphere lifted a few degrees. Akira's dark eyes were still firmly affixed on Waya, waiting for a wrong move to throw him out though.

Hikaru's heart started beating again, and he let out a rather relieved sigh. "As if I would let you do such a thing," Hikaru retorted, though all present – except Waya… – had seen the vividly present flash of fear in his eyes.

And that didn't exactly endear him to Akira's heart.

"Hikaru, perhaps you should go back to sleep."

He was immediately shot an incredulous look. "Sai, do you know what time it is?"

The long-haired man stood up, and headed towards the window, much to the bemusement of the people that lived with him – who were used to it – and the puzzlement of the guests. The elegant man stuck his head out the window, and looked up at the sky. "I would say that it is about…four o'clock."

Waya checked his watch. "Four thirteen. Why didn't you just check the clock?" he asked, pointing at the small clock resting on one of the tables pushed to the side of the room.

Sai blinked. "How would that contraption help me in understanding what time it is?"

Hikaru snickered, but grinned. "Does this sort of back up my theory? Clocks weren't invented in the Heian era, and Sai is more…comfortable with the way he was taught things regarding some matters. Besides, isn't it cool?"

Sai's pale cheeks tinged pink at the scrutinizing looks he received. "It's…really nothing. The position of the sun is what tells you what time it is."

Isumi-san nodded knowingly. "It is indeed a very useful skill, Fujiwara-san."

Sai smiled in return. "Thank you."

"Wait a minute. You're telling me that this guy," Ko Yeongha jerked his thumb towards Sai, "is actually a noble from the Heian era that was also the emperor's go teacher. And then was the go player behind Honinbou Shuusaku, and later on 'haunted' you for two years. And now he's living in your house, magically restored as a human?"

"Yup!" Hikaru beamed, and Akira resisted the urge to put his head into his arms at Hikaru completely missing the heavy sarcasm behind it.

"Right~." Before Yeongha could continue that thought, Suyon quickly began tugging at his older friend.

Emotions flying through him, Suyon could only nod politely at his hosts. "If you would please give us some time to think about this, that would be very kind."

Akira smothered a scowl and a worried look, schooling his face into impassiveness. "Of course."

"Yeah, take as long as you need," Hikaru said, sounding whimsical. A bit of Akira's worry must have shown through though, for the semi-blond boy turned to his friend and smiled brightly before turning back to his guest. "Would you two like to sleep on this too?" Hikaru asked.

"Please," Isumi-san answered quietly.

Hikaru merely nodded, feeling a myriad of emotions and feelings on rampage. "Thanks for coming."

"Thank you for having us."

By now most of the houseguests had vacated, and only Waya was left. "Shindou…"

"Yes?" Hikaru questioned, tucking a long strand of hair out of his eyes.

"I believe you." He softly closed the door behind him.

Neither Akira nor Sai missed the little glint of a falling tear, despite how much Hikaru tried to hide it. "You know, Akira," Hikaru's voice remaining steady despite his tumultuous feelings, "I think I will go lie down for a while after all."

He stood up, and promptly stumbled. Akira's hands were already reaching for him, Sai just seconds behind him, but Hikaru managed to straighten himself. "Sorry, I tripped."

Hikaru quickly left, though both of those left behind could see that Hikaru's gait seemed to be odd for some reason. 'Could this be physically affecting him, this emotional high?' Akira asked himself. 'That wouldn't seem really reasonable with normal … but then again, Hikaru never has been normal, and I suppose that dexterity can decrease because of emotional turmoil.'

Shaking himself out of his contemplations, Akira moved to follow his friend. To his surprise, he was stopped by a go calloused hand. "Let him be for a bit. Hikaru will need to sort this out by himself, and he will see their perspective in a bit," Sai said quietly. "Hikaru's smart, despite how he might act at times, and he just needs time to overcome the emotionally attached part of him that's afraid of being abandoned by his friend. Once he manages to do that, he should understand why they did what they did."

Akira sighed, knowing that the older man was right. Logically, it was definitely not wrong to ask for some time to process it, but Hikaru's mind had probably taken it was rejection simply because of the fears that Akira knew he had been harboring ever since he started with the first confession to the Touya. It was an irrational fear on Akira's part, but he knew that the amount of psychological courage it took to profess the secrets he had been keeping for so long.

"You know, for all Hikaru's bravado, he can be sensitive at times," Akira sighed.

Sai nodded, his dark strands of hair rustling at the movement. "I know. I shadowed him for two years, remember? I know he'll come around soon, and Hikaru's always been an independent soul. Though I supposed go has changed him, whether it be his maturity level and way of thinking or the bonds he has made."

"He was thirteen when he ran away," Akira contemplated. "I couldn't imagine secluding myself so thoroughly and not being completely devastated by the loneliness, however aloof a figure others might see me as." It was odd that Touya Akira would say so much about himself except to Hikaru, but their mutual worry for a friend had bonded Akira and Sai together, at least for the moment.

"But I suppose he was forced to grow up faster than most children."

Sai winced. This last comment was a barb that the man couldn't ignore. It appeared that despite the fact Touya was willing to talk about Hikaru and put aside their differences, his dislike of Sai had not evaporated in the least.

"Either way, I believe that Hikaru is still rather vulnerable, or at least emotionally stunted to certain degrees," Akira murmured softly.

"What do you mean?" Sai asked, eyes growing wide.

"…I was a rather peculiar child, wasn't I?"

Sai didn't know how to answer that.

"You know, Hikaru's always telling me that I'm antisocial and everything, but there's part of me that sort of worries about him."

"I don't understand," Sai admitted. He had no idea how Akira's taciturn nature connected with Hikaru's brightly shining one, or at least in the matter the younger male was implying.

"Before go, and the Haze Go Club, do you know of the people that were acquainted with Hikaru?"

Sai's eyes widened in understanding at the point Akira was addressing.

"You don't think…"

"Perhaps I am overthinking this because of worry," Akira said. "But…well, have you ever heard of him mention anyone as a close childhood friend besides Fujisaki-san? Sure, they were close, in a way, but Hikaru doesn't seem like someone who would spend all his time with a female, though I'm not trying to be discriminatory in the least. And though it appeared he has a good relationship with his parents, they were just sort of in the sidelines at a young age simply because of Hikaru's interest in something completely foreign to him, right?"

Sai nodded slowly. "So you're saying," he said, lowering his voice, "that Hikaru is probably clinging to the friends he has made and is sort of emotionally fragile despite his outgoing nature."

"Perhaps. I could be drastically overthinking things out of my worry," Akira confessed. "And I'm not saying that the Shindou family did anything wrong. Shindou-san, his mother I mean, was very involved in him, from what I've heard. Until he started going into the go world. She still clearly wanted to be, but I've seen parents that are unable to comprehend that their children are professionals. That, and Hikaru seemed to learn go out of nowhere, and took to it very well."

"My mother was actually sort of like that. Don't get me wrong, she's the best mother I could hope for, but she wasn't completely able to understand my obsession with the game. I suppose that's why a go player's life can sometimes be lonely. She's supportive and extremely caring of both my father and I, but she just isn't able to fully…understand my dedication to this, I suppose."

"And you were wondering if Hikaru's life was similar to that, and that's why he was so deeply affected by the thought of someone leaving him," Sai finished, eyes sad. "I…honestly don't know if that's what's going on with Hikaru, but…"

"The length he's going to in order to keep those around him safe is astounding," Akira murmured darkly, eyes glancing towards Sai before fixating on the floor again.

Sai blinked at this, and stored this memory in the 'to be examined at a later date' part of his brain.

Akira got up, of the position on the floor that he had fallen into when Sai stopped him from going after Hikaru. "Whatever his reasons are, I know it'd hurt him deeply if they didn't at least try to understand." He frowned. "I have a teaching game today, later in the afternoon. I…want to stay with Hikaru, but I know he'd reject that idea immediately. So…take care of him, please. I should be back in time for dinner, I'll pick something up on the way back."

Sai nodded. "Thank you, Touya-kun."

Akira didn't say anything for a moment. The poignant silence hung heavily in the air for a moment before Akira started heading towards the door, reaching for his coat. "Don't let him cook. It's unusual that he's willing to rest, even if it is to sulk. Keep him from going completely into a fog, but don't let him try to do anything. His mind will be too worried about the others' reactions to remember to be careful, and I don't want him to accidentally burn or cut himself In an attempt to cook dinner."

"Of course," Sai answered. "Take care, and I'll make sure he doesn't do anything reckless." The older man gave his own sigh, feeling helpless.

Akira briskly said, "My cell phone number is on the refrigerator. Please pick up the phone," Akira gestured to it, "and push in the numbers should anything dire come up."

The straight haired teen paused. "Fujiwara-san, I won't let anything hurt Hikaru. It doesn't matter what is doing so, I _will_ protect him."

He left on that statement, and Sai sat there for a moment. He wanted to ask Hikaru what was going on, and what Touya Akira's ambiguous comments meant. He wanted to know why Hikaru seemed to be pulling away from Sai despite the initial elation at his reappearance. He wanted to know what was ailing Hikaru, and why. Most of all, he wanted to know what was disturbing him.

But asking now would merely further worry the semi-blond, and that was the last thing that Sai wanted to do.

He missed the closeness they used to share.

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

Hikaru winced, shifting his weight as he sat tucked up against the wall, leafing through a book of kifu. His legs felt sort of numb before, but now the previously dull pains had begun alternating with sharp stabs. He wasn't sure what exactly was going on, but his gut told him that this would probably become less and less pleasant as _it_ progressed.

Still, there was no reason to worry the others. It was infrequent that the dull pains intensified, and they usually went away soon enough. Besides, the alternative…Hikaru shook his head and sighed, then grimaced again as it felt like white hot needles were poking into him. Slowly, he stood up, legs shaking slightly at the effort. Pausing and listening carefully, he walked over to a small dresser with several drawers after he heard no one.

Shifting carefully through the mounds of clothes that were folded semi-neatly, he came across a small pill container, buried below several dress shirts that he almost never touched. Picking up the half-drunk bottle of water that Hikaru had used before, he glanced towards the door again. Still no one.

Opening the cap and dropping a pill into his hand, Hikaru quickly swallowed it, leaving two left in the bottle. Drinking some water, the semi-blond sighed softly. 'I'll have to pick up more of them. I'll need to find some time to, without Akira or Sai finding out. I can just see Akira chewing me out for not telling him that I ended up filling that prescription anyways. In fact, I don't want him to find out about the treatment that the doctors tried to recommend either. If I thought the initial conversations were unpleasant, this will be at least one hundred times as worse.'

Tucking the pill bottle back into the drawer, Hikaru sat still for a few moments, feeling the quick acting drug rushing through his bloodstream. Well, figuratively. The sharp pains dulled back into a persistent ache, and Hikaru nodded in satisfaction. Standing up, he leaned back into the wall that he had claimed again, continuing to leaf through the book of old kifu. He slowly slid down to his knees, and then sat down.

The speed of the progression of the ailment worried Hikaru a bit. Not because it was advancing quickly, but actually because the onsets of the new symptoms were actually occurring at an extremely slow pace. Or, at least, slower than he would have expected, especially after the dire warnings given by the god of go.

Sighing, Hikaru felt his mind drifting from the go kifu again, something quite uncharacteristic of him. 'The conversation I had before is worrying me,' Hikaru thought. 'But I suppose it's for the best if they leave. I don't want to involve anyone else in this, not with my future uncertain. I don't … I don't want to hurt anyone. Sai is bad enough, and Akira is probably worse off, with the amount of emotion he's invested in me…'

Still, Hikaru was very well aware that Akira would follow through with the threats that he had made about what would happen to the semi-blond should he try to run. That, and Hikaru wasn't sure what Sai would do.

Sai. Hikaru missed him…not in the bitterly aching, sanity dissolving, _unbearable_ pain that he experienced when Sai first disappeared, but more of a bittersweet longing and a sadness at the distance that had grown between them. He knew that Sai was probably bored at home alone with him, and with the games that he was forced to play as a shodan _(first dan)_ pro. Not only that, but Hikaru knew that between Akira and Sai, they had devised some sort of schedule so that most of the time at least one of them was home with him.

Hikaru frowned. He hated how Sai wasn't able to do what he really wanted to – go – simply because of Hikaru. He didn't like how it seemed that he was holding his two friends back. He didn't like how he wasn't able to play challenging go with anyone but his two companions anymore – or, at least, challenging go that involved the comforting _pachi_ sounds of go stones hitting the board.

He still played often on his laptop when he had time, and he was making quite a name for himself on the web – though not as world shattering as 'sai'. Still, there was just something about staring at your opponent across the board, the sounds of go around you, the feeling of the stones held in your hand, and it was that that Hikaru missed.

Still, there was nothing that he could do about it. It was bad enough that the Meijin – 'Ex-Meijin,' his mind supplied – knew about his whereabouts, though that was probably inevitable since Akira was his son. And it was worse that he managed to bump into four of the people he knew because of go in the relatively short time he'd been back in the city. It was almost worse that so many people knew the secret he shared with Sai, though he was rather certain no one would say anything about it.

'And I haven't even told them about the more mystifying part of the story either,' Hikaru thought wryly. 'Then again, not even Sai knows…Akira's the only one who really has any idea what's going on.'

And he definitely didn't plan on telling Sai. After all, that'd just make the other man worry, and Hikaru was dead set against the older man having anything to worry about but go – not that he really worried about go at all, especially at the dan level he was currently forced to stay at.

Huffing, irritated, Hikaru stood up again, wobbling slightly before steadying. Glancing at the clock he noticed that he had wasted around three hours, lazing around and, as Akira had said before, 'contemplating the technicalities of life'.

"Seven," Hikaru murmured aloud to himself. "Dinner, I suppose. Akira should be back soon." Walking in an uneven gait that was quickly straightened, he opened the door and stepped out into the hall.

"Sai?"

The man called materialized in a manner that made Hikaru blink. 'I thought he could only do that when he was a ghost…'

"Yes, Hikaru?"

"What do you want for dinner? I'll whip something up, and it should be done around the time that Akira gets home," Hikaru explained.

"No."

Hikaru blinked at Sai's abrupt answer. It was unlike the other man to not think about his words, and to be so to the point, Hikaru wondered what was going on with him. "Uh…as in, no, you don't have a preference to what I'm going to cook?"

Sai frowned heavily, which was uncharacteristic enough for the happy-go-lucky man that Hikaru raised an eyebrow. "Are you all right, Sai?"

"Touya-kun—"

Hikaru winced.

"—advised me to prevent you from undertaking strenuous tasks. Especially cooking. He told me that he'd bring something home for us, and that for you not to worry about it."

The telephone ringing interrupted the duo's conversation, and Sai started for the contraption. "Pick it up, put it to my ear, and then talk into the weird dotted part of it…"

Hikaru grinned. "I'll answer it, Sai," he said, before bounding – gingerly, something that escaped Sai's notice in his mechanical technology pondering state – towards the phone. "Hello?"

"Hikaru?" It was Akira's voice that rang clearly through the connection.

"Yes? You're not back yet?" Hikaru asked, glancing again at a nearby clock. Akira's teaching games usually only lasted an hour or two, and the other teen had a tendency to rush to Hikaru's house right afterwards.

"I remembered that most of my belongings are still in my parents' house. I went by to go get them and say hello to my parents. Now, what do you want for dinner?"

"I can cook," Hikaru pouted, though he knew that Akira wouldn't be able to see him. "No need to go through that trouble. Besides, it's late. Just come back, and I'll make something."

"…You're standing up again, aren't you…?" Akira's voice turned cool. "What did I say about resting properly? I'm going to take you to the hospital again if you aren't taking care of yourself!"

Hikaru rolled his eyes. He appreciated the concern, but it apparently still hadn't sunk into Akira that this wasn't something that the doctors could just cure. 'Then again, it's probably for the best. Who knows how much he'll freak out once it really sets in.'

"I told you I'm fine."

Hikaru could distinctly hear the hiss coming through the phone line a moment later. "What. Do. You. Want. For. Dinner."

"…Ramen?"

"No. I'll pick up something then, since you can't decide. Rest, Hikaru!" With that, the phone clicked, and a dial tone was heard a moment later.

"Well then," Hikaru murmured, though his eyes were filled with affection at the other teen. "I guess that's that." Turning towards Sai, he began grinning in a way that had the older man slightly cautious. "Want to play go, Sai?"

Eyeing the younger male for an signs of fatigue, and finding none that he could spot, Sai nodded. "Of course, Hikaru. Shall we take this to your room? You should rest…"

Hikaru groaned. "Not you too!" But nonetheless he followed the ex-ghost into his shared bedroom.

Sai bent down elegantly, carefully moving the goban so that it sat about a sitting person's length from the wall. He gestured for Hikaru to sit propped up against the wall, and Hikaru sighed but did as he was told – for once.

Sai silently wondered to himself if now was a good time to ask his questions. Thinking about it for a moment, he decided otherwise. 'Hikaru's still stressed from this morning, it'd probably be better for him if I asked later…' Part of him knew that it was a stalling tactic, but still, it had its merits.

Reaching over and finding a quilt, the long haired man offered it to Hikaru before he sat seiza. Reaching for the two go stone containers, he gave one to Hikaru.

"Nigiri."

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

"I mean…I mean…" Touya Akira was stammering uncharacteristically, feeling childlike amidst the armful of futon he was holding, and the glaring Ogata Seiji. Yes, Ogata's glaring orbs of "darkness" didn't exactly help poor Akira calm down at all.

"You said Sai…he's staying with Shindou?" Ogata murmured in a thoughtfully dangerous voice.

"N-No, I said...that I'm going to go to Hikaru's house and…scrub his floor with lye!...wait…" Akira groaned. 'Scrub his floor with lye? I don't know how many degrees of incredibly unconvincing that was.'

Ogata raised an eyebrow, staring at the teen. "Scrub his floor with lye? I know that you don't lie, but this is ridiculous."

Akira sighed. "Please don't remind me, Ogata-san."

"So I'm right then? The legendary 'sai' is staying with Shindou Hikaru?" Ogata smiled, in a way that even the polite – and convinced that Ogata Seiji wasn't the creepy pedophile Hikaru saw him as – Touya Akira found slightly…odd.

'Sort of like he wants to…eat me?' Akira thought with a slight shudder. 'No, that's impossible.'

"By your silence I'm right, huh? Well, lead me to Shindou's house. I knew that he had something to do with this…speaking of this, why is Shindou Hikaru living in a house in this very city when the entire go world believes that he either left the country or is dead?"

"Eh…heh…" Akira managed to murmur inarticulate statements in response to Ogata's "inquiries" – inquisition… - hindered by the determined and sort-of-scary gaze fixed upon him. 'I can't believe that all of this happened just because I managed to let it slip that I was going to go to the restaurant down the street to pick something up for Hikaru and Sai and myself. …Then again, you wouldn't expect that Ogata-san would hear it. I was talking a bit to myself after all.'

"Well?"

"Oh…look at the time," Akira quickly blurted out. "I have to go now, see you later-" 'much later…' "—Ogata-san!" He quickly grabbed the box that contained his necessities and a few other things, and perching it precariously on his futon, toed on his shoes and ran away. Yup, ran…away. "Goodbye, Father, Mother! I'll be back to visit soon!"

"Touya Akira! Come back here and answer my questions about Sai!" Ogata meant to start chasing his teacher's son down for information, but a firm hand stopped him.

"Let him be." Touya (ex-) Meijin's voice was as firm as his actions.

Ogata Seiji frowned. "But—"

"I have reasons to believe that Shindou is hiding what he is for his own reasons. Interfering now could be disastrous," Touya said.

"But it's 'sai'! How could you not be curious?" Ogata burst out in an uncharacteristic show of passion.

"Akira has been particularly devoted to Shindou lately, going so far as to move in with him. I believe that Fujiwara-san's sudden appearance has something to do with that, not that Akira did not treasure Shindou's friendship before."

Ogata blinked. "Who is this Fujiwara-san?"

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

Akira gave a soft sigh of relief as he glanced over his shoulder and noticed that he was not being pursued by an irate and answer-seeking Ogata-san. "Now, time to get some food…" Akira quickly dropped by a takeout place and bought three bento boxes before heading back towards Hikaru's house. Upon noticing a convenience store on his way, he also bought a few drinks and a small carton of milk, knowing that it had been awhile since any of them had done any shopping. 'Something else to do…' he thought to himself.

Hurrying home, he rang the doorbell – 'I need to ask Hikaru If I can have another set of keys commissioned…' - and nodded at Sai, who was the one to answer. "Did you manage to keep him occupied and off his feet?" Akira inquired softly.

"Yes," Sai answered, smiling at his triumph. Given, he didn't exactly keep Hikaru from doing anything and resting, but still, it was a notable feat. "Though I believe he is getting restless, even with the go games that we have been playing."

Akira sighed softly. "Yes, Hikaru is like that."

"Hey! I'm right here," a voice protested. Akira inclined his head, and noticed that Hikaru was sprawled out on one of the tatami mats tactfully placed in various locations on the floor.

Akira held up his purchases, and motioned for the table. "We should eat now, it is rather late. I am sorry for the delay."

Hikaru waved one of his hands carelessly, and Sai answered, "It is of no consequence."

Hikaru rolled his eyes, but grinned. "So, what kept you?"

Akira winced, and Hikaru took it as a bad sign. "Well…"

"…What happened, Akira?" When the taller teen did not answer immediately, Hikaru groaned. "I don't think I want to know." When Touya Akira was hesitant about saying things, it usually meant that the result from what happened would be catastrophically disastrous.

Instead of answering Hikaru, Akira turned to Sai. "I should probably warn you to watch out for Ogata-san from now on. Actually, you might want to stop answering the phone…or the door…before checking who it is."

Sai blinked. "Err…thank you for the advice, Touya-kun."

Hikaru groaned again. "So it's that pedo—"

"Hikaru!"

"_lovely_ man that just enjoys shoving children into walls…happy? So he found out?"

"Well, not completely," Akira admitted. "All he knows is that there is a 'sai' living with you. Actually, I'm not even sure if he knows where you live. Though, Ogata-san can get a bit…"

"Obsessed?" Hikaru offered, mind already running through ways to keep them…'safe'.

Akira shrugged. It wasn't exactly false, especially when concerned with good go players. And his glowing fish.

"Let's eat before the food gets cold," Sai said, though he looked a little nervous. After all, this would probably affect him the most. And though he doubted that Ogata-san was as bad as Hikaru seemed to think he was – even though he had been with Hikaru during the 'hospital incident' – he was a bit wary of rabid people, especially after the whole 'recommendation note incident'. 'I have gotten into a lot of incidents with Hikaru,' Sai mused.

Akira nodded in agreement and carefully placed the meal on the table. Hikaru and Sai followed him, and after Akira washed his hands they joined him.

As they ate, Akira noticed that Hikaru was merely pushing his food around on his plate again, taking a few bites at odd intervals. He sighed softly, and Hikaru glanced up at the noise. The semi-blond noticed that both of his dinner companions were looking at him worriedly, and he took a few more bites despite the fact he wasn't really hungry. "I'm fine!" he said around a mouthful of rice.

Akira raised an eyebrow at that, but said nothing.

Under Akira's glaring gaze, and Sai's reproachful one, Hikaru managed to finish half of his meal, and drank a small bottle of juice. He neatly put the top back onto the meal, and stood up, sticking it in the refrigerator. "I'm going to go play some NetGo, 'kay?" He disappeared quickly, and in an increasingly rare moment of understanding, Akira exchanged a look with Sai.

They quickly finished up their meals, and threw the remains in the trash can, before following Hikaru into the room. Upon noticing their arrival, Hikaru finished the go game that was ending, and turned from his laptop towards them.

"Neh, don't you guys think that we should make use of that room that I painted, especially now that Akira's moving in? I was thinking of either having me move in there, or we could turn it into a study or something, and clear this room up for sleeping."

Sai and Akira exchanged a glance, before answering in unison, "Study."

Hikaru blinked. "Err…okay. You got your stuff today, right, Akira? We can start organizing tomorrow. Given, of course, no other unexpected characters show up."

As if jinxed by his words, a knocking sounded upon his door.

"Shindou! Akira-kun! I know you're in there! Let me in!"

A silence rang through the room for a moment, before a loud voice hissed, "He's not even supposed to know where we live! You didn't tell him or anything, did you?"

"No!" Akira answered, confused.

"Go away! I don't live here!" Hikaru shouted at the door, not noticing the look Akira gave him. "I knew it," Hikaru murmured to the two beside him.

"What?" Sai asked quietly.

"Ogata Seiji is a perverted man. Why else would he be able to find two teenagers that are supposedly living alone, and visit at this odd time of night."

Akira rolled his eyes internally. 'Hikaru's being purposely dense. Though I'm surprised that Ogata-san's obsession with Sai would come this far…'

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

**As always, thanks for the reviews! Yes, Ogata's appearance, though brief. I plan on speeding things up soon, and Hikaru's life is still a chaotic mass of events. **

**I hope I will update again soon, and thank you all for the support, :)**


	11. Chapter 11

The pounding on the door still hadn't stopped. It was driving Touya Akira insane, but Hikaru wouldn't let him open the door. Something about…strangers and dangerous and taking advantage. Either way, Akira had agreed at first. Should they let Ogata-san in, it was unlikely that any of them would sleep tonight. Still, he hadn't imagined that Ogata-san would keep knocking and knocking and _knocking_.

He heard Hikaru give a soft moan from beside him, and the rustle of blankets and sheets. "Make him go away, 'kira. I don't care anymore if you open the door. Call the police if you have to!"

Akira would have normally rolled his eyes at Hikaru's antics, but Ogata-san had been at it for three hours straight. Briefly, he wondered where their neighbors were. Then he remembered. Hikaru's apartment floor was completely empty now besides for them. Most of the half-blond's neighbors had moved out within a few weeks of Hikaru moving in.

What Akira didn't know was that the reason for moving out was weird, suspicious delinquent-like teens showing up at odd times of the day, disrupting rest and peace and just _quietness _in general.

"I am not going to call the police on Ogata-san," Akira sighed heavily, though he was tired as well. He had originally agreed with Hikaru's plan because it would ultimately end up in more rest for the group, but his intent was being horribly shattered.

**KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.**

Into tiny, itty bitty microscopic pieces.

Surprisingly, it was neither Akira nor Hikaru who broke first. Akira saw a flash of dark colored hair and a soft, "Please close your eyes for a moment, I'm turning on the lights," before light flooded the room and he saw Fujiwara no Sai walking out the room and towards the door, closing it behind him.

"No~! Sai, don't sacrifice yourself!" Hikaru called after his friend.

Akira heaved a sigh, but was comforted by the fact that the knocking stopped. There was silence for several blissful moments before, "YOU'RE SAI? PLAY A GAME WITH ME!" resonated painfully through the entire house.

Hikaru gave up drowning himself in his pillows and blankets, and sat up. "Should we go check up on them?" he asked, turning to Akira.

"…I'm sure that Ogata-san will be occupied with Sai-san," Akira answered.

"That's what I'm afraid of…," Hikaru muttered, trailing off. He heaved another sigh, and placed his pillow over his head again. "Could you ever imagine the sound of go stones falling becoming so troublesome and loud?"

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

As it turned out, Sai had fallen asleep at the board, completely worn out. And played an absolutely terrible game, what seemed like the worst that he had ever played. In all of his ghostly and non-ghostly life. It was needless to say that Ogata-san was quite disappointed at the results.

But it was no secret that Hikaru thought it was what he deserved, for not coming tomorrow and insisting on knocking and knocking for hours. Especially when he proclaimed it to Ogata's face the next morning, when he found the glasses-wearing man staring desolately at his goban and Sai slumped against the wall, hand still clutching a go stone.

"How could this have happened?" Ogata whispered a bit brokenly at the goban. "This isn't Sai…"

Hikaru had rolled his eyes at Ogata's dramatics. "Well duh. He's exhausted," Hikaru said, throwing a blanket over Sai's shoulders. "You're not supposed to play go when you're tired enough to fall asleep at the goban. Playing him then was just stupidity on your part."

There were times that Akira found Hikaru too blunt. This was probably the epitome example for one of those times. Then again, Akira also knew that it was impossible for Hikaru to be tactful in most occasions. He spoke his mind, and Akira supposed it was one of the good and bad qualities about the half-blond.

Not to mention that Hikaru had done the same himself quite often when playing with Akira…

"Ogata-san, perhaps you should come back later," Akira said, trying a more tactful approach. "You should play Sai-san when you are both more rested. It will likely greatly increase the skill of both of your playing styles."

Ogata nodded dazedly, still focused on the game in front of him. Oh, Sai was there in the game, and it wasn't an absolutely horrible one. But it was nothing compared to the genius that Sai was often seen displaying, something that Akira had seen firsthand.

"The door's over there."

"Hikaru!"

Hikaru shrugged. "He looks out of it."

Akira glared at the sheer bluntness of those statements, but part of him had to agree. Ogata not only looked tired, but also shocked to the bone at Sai's apparent lack of finesse in the game they had played. Hikaru knew that Sai had to have been really tired to have played such a game. It wasn't a bad one, just not…'Sai-standard'.

"Ogata-san," Akira murmured, ready to move in and help the man. "Trust me. Sai-san will play much better when he's more rested."

Ogata nodded mutely, before heading towards the door.

Hikaru sighed. "That was…interesting. But I always knew that Ogata was obsessed with Sai."

Akira shrugged. "You should go back to bed. You didn't get much sleep last night, I could tell that the sound of the go stones was keeping you awake until late. Are you feeling all right?"

"I'm fine. Are you hungry?" Hikaru said.

"Not particularly," Akira said, muffling a yawn. "If you don't mind, I actually don't have anything scheduled today. I think we should go back to sleep."

Hikaru nodded. He knelt down beside Sai, masking a wince as the muscles in his legs protested. Arranging the sleeping man into a more comfortable position – it was not likely that Hikaru would be able to withstand the weight of Sai; the fact that he was already feeling sort of unsteady on his feet, though he wouldn't be telling Akira that, was proof of that. Tugging the blanket into position, Hikaru stumbled as he got up. Akira's hands were already reaching for him when he straightened himself.

"You are not all right," Akira said, voice steady and emotionless. "Any new symptoms?"

Hikaru glanced carefully at Sai, and then motioned for Akira to follow him out of the room. When they were both propped up in their futons, facing each other, Hikaru answered softly, "No."

"Any symptoms that have gotten worse?"

"Err…general tiredness. A bit of a loss of appetite. Lack of coordination." All of this Akira had observed already, and he knew that Hikaru knew that perfectly well. Before Akira had the time to say anything, Hikaru continued, "Do you think I am being unfair to Sai?"

Akira froze. Thinking over the question, he responded carefully, "In what way?"

"In keeping him in the dark. Distancing him. Not tell him much of anything," Hikaru shrugged. "I feel sort of guilty about it, but I don't want to hurt him later on." There was no doubt in Akira's mind what Hikaru meant by later. "Just like I don't want to hurt you."

The taller teen found it unusual that Hikaru was speaking about his worries. From what Akira had observed Hikaru generally kept such thoughts and doubts to himself. This must have been on his mind for quite a while. "What you think may happen is no excuse for running away, as it probably causes Sai-san more pain. But…I can see where you're coming from, at the very least. It is in my personal opinion, and in the way I believe I would handle this situation, that you should let him know. Or, at the very least, stop building brick walls between you and everyone you care about."

Hikaru looked at him with wide eyes. "Yes, I have noticed that."

The half-blond grinned at him. "You are very perceptive."

"How long has this been troubling you?" Akira asked, tone of voice and posture perfectly calm, though he wasn't really.

"Not long," Hikaru lied. "I just wanted to know what you thought about this stuff."

"Hm. You shouldn't run away from us. We want to help you." With that, Akira sighed, and leaned against his futon. "I know that you're not fine. I don't need any proof to know that, even the stuff you try to hide. But I do want to help you, Hikaru."

Something that sounded suspiciously like, "And I don't want to hurt you," was murmured, before Hikaru grinned and nodded. "Got it. Thanks, Akira."

"You're welcome."

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

"Neh, Sai?"

"Hm?" Sai didn't look up from his go magazine, used to Hikaru's random asking of questions at any moment in any given time of the day.

"Do you want to go to the amusement park with me?"

Sai looked up. "What is an amusement park?"

"Err…," Hikaru had forgotten about this aspect of their situation. Sai had gotten better with electrical appliances and the such what with living with Hikaru for those two years and then now, so much that it wasn't rare for Hikaru to forget sometimes, just _sometimes_, that Sai wasn't born and raised in this 'world' as he was.

"Well…it's kind of like a really big park. But there are…interesting machines and stuff that make things really fun. So, do you want to come with me? Or do you have something that you need to do today?"

Hikaru didn't mention that he really didn't have any intention of going alone. After all, he was still _trying_ to maintain inconspicuousness in the city, as unsuccessful as the quest had been so far. Given Akira's words, it was probably hurting them more to stay away. At the very least he could make some more good memories with Sai instead of drawing away.

Hikaru was thankful that the god of go had given him more time with the Heian-era ex-ghost. And he figured now that he should probably treasure the time, and give at least Akira and Sai memories to treasure – 'or hate' his mind whispered – later on.

And it'd be nice to spend some much missed time with the long-haired man.

Then Hikaru started to feel guilty. For Sai had sent him the most innocently happy, purely _beaming_ look of joy…kind of like the time he saw the microwave for the first time, but more of a sincere type of way.

"Of course I'll go with you, Hikaru! Just let me go change."

Hikaru smiled back, and nodded. If this was all it took to make Sai this happy, perhaps a few innocent outings wouldn't hurt.

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

Fujiwara no Sai was overjoyed when Hikaru mentioned going to an ami-amu-amiss….park with him. It meant that he was opening up, at least a little bit. Sai still wasn't sure what was going on – the little hints that he had picked up showed him that it was something dire and in urgent need of attention, but Sai wasn't absolutely sure of much besides that it involved Hikaru and Touya-kun knew more about the situation than he did. Enough that every time the teen saw him Touya-kun had a tendency to glare frostily; though Touya-kun didn't really make much of an effort to hide it – it seems whatever was going on was more important to the Touya than politeness and etiquette.

But Sai was worried. The fact that Hikaru was affiliated with this situation worried him greatly, and even knowing mostly nothing he was anxious about the fact that Hikaru – bright, cheery, overly optimistic Hikaru – seemed so down, and was drawing away.

Nevertheless, Sai wasn't one to scorn such an opportunity. He didn't want to push Hikaru, or make the burden – whatever it was – heavier for him, but he needed to know what was going on. The sheer direness of the situation, given by Touya-kun's reactions and Hikaru's own actions was enough for Sai to strengthen his determination.

He would wait. But he would do so with eyes open. He needed to know what was going on, an immediate confrontation was more Hikaru's style than his, Sai cared for Hikaru; he _needed_ to know what was hurting his friend.

Sai sighed as he put on a button down shirt and black pants. Tying his hair up again into a higher ponytail, he met Hikaru outside; the half-blond was in the same clothes that he was in before – a t-shirt and shorts. The teen had gathered a small pack; of the contents Sai was unsure of.

"You ready?" Hikaru asked, glancing up at Sai.

Sai smiled happily, and nodded. "Of course, Hikaru. Let's go!"

"Great! Akira's on a bit of a trip for a go event, so we should be able to spend the day together and not worry about when we have to come home. Do you need sunscreen? Your skin is a lot paler than mine, and pale skin burns easily…"

"What is this sunscreen you are talking about?" Sai asked, tilting his head to the side.

Hikaru blinked. "You need sunscreen." He rummaged around in his pack and threw Sai a bottle, which the taller man caught gracefully. "Rub that over any exposed skin. Be careful with your eyes and mouth and stuff, don't get it in there. External use only."

"Ha?"

This was going to be a longer day than Hikaru planned.

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

In the end, the day had actually gone pretty well. Sure, there were a couple of mishaps here and there, but it was to be expected. It wasn't Hikaru's fault he forgot to tell Sai that roller coasters weren't really like cars before they got on…okay, so it was, but it worked out well enough after the first time.

Hikaru even got to purchase a few things that their rooms had been in need of, and a few grocery supplies on the way home. All in all it was an accomplished day.

The day had been spent in a compatible sort of friendship between the two, and ended with both satisfied. It wasn't to say that Hikaru was going to let Sai get too 'attached' to him again, but he supposed that a few outings and conversations here and there wouldn't be _that_ bad. And truth to be told, Hikaru was getting sort of lonely with his isolation anyways. He knew in his heart that it was for the better, but he was aching for companionship nevertheless.

So Hikaru decided that while he wouldn't open up completely, the odd contact wouldn't be _too_ bad.

Issues only started arising when the duo returned home at around nine o'clock at night. The house was predictably empty, Akira having left for a go event scheduled for the next two days. He hadn't exactly wanted to leave Hikaru alone, even with Sai there, and especially with the recent … fiasco with Ogata, but Hikaru had insisted vehemently. Besides, Akira couldn't really afford to continue taking days off. It was already a matter of talk in the go world about how Touya Akira had seemed to be mostly avoiding long-term or long distance go events, something he had never done before.

Hikaru had just set down his bags, and Sai the screen that Hikaru had bought to give the three more privacy – sure, they were sharing an extremely large room, and for a good reason, but a bit of privacy wouldn't hurt anyone; particularly since Hikaru was trying to avoid the scrutinizing eye that Akira kept on him at night. As Hikaru knelt down with a care that Sai didn't miss to put the perishables into the refrigerator, the doorbell rang.

"Hm. That's odd," Hikaru commented, placing a few cans of juice on the bottom shelf. "Akira shouldn't be back yet, and I can't really think of anyone else who might want to visit at this time." Brushing invisible dirt off of his hands, Hikaru stood up; he wobbled enough that Sai noticed, his hands fluttering in a subconscious attempt to help, but not enough that most would have suspected that anything was wrong. Hikaru himself didn't find anything wrong with the movement, having grown accustomed to some unsteadiness – he didn't even realize that Sai had picked up on it.

Sai watched on in a helpless kind of worry. He really didn't know how to help. Sighing, he glided towards the door, motioning for Hikaru to sit down. "I will get the door."

Hikaru shook his head. "I don't know who it will be, so it's probably best if I answer." He strode towards the front door, and Sai walked a half step behind him. He watched as Hikaru turned the lock, but was careful to keep the chain in.

Ko Yeongha, along with Hong Suyon, were standing at the door. Ignoring the death glare that Hikaru shot his way, Yeongha abruptly said, "We're going back to Korea. Do something so stupid again and I'll personally buy a plane ticket and come back to hunt you down."

Hikaru blinked. "Ha? What does that mean?" Sai really had no idea what the tall teen was talking about either, and he chose to remain silent for the explanation.

"What Yeongha means," Suyon said, in a less brash and more tranquil tone, "is that we don't want to pick any fights with you." Ko scoffed, and Suyon sighed, though with a fond sort of manner. "The truth of the story is not really of great importance; even if it is false, I – we want to stay friends with you."

"You never were a 'friend' in the first place. And you're too stupid to make up such a tale," Yeongha smirked, but his eyes held no malice.

Hikaru glowered at him darkly, but the expression quickly dissolved into gratitude. The issue here wasn't really whether or not the Korean pro duo believed Hikaru or not about the story. It was, in Hikaru's mind, more about whether or not they trusted him enough to believe that he was not completely off his rocker. It didn't truly matter to Hikaru even if they thought the story to be made up; the issue was more that Hikaru wanted them to place some degree of faith in him.

He desired trust, not acceptance. In Hikaru's mind, he was perfectly fine with being _unique_. But what he wanted to see was if their friendship would hold through this. He could deal with disbelief, but Hikaru didn't want to deal with being accused of lying. The line between these two scenarios could probably be seen as extremely thin, but to Hikaru it made a great difference. To him, being skeptical of something was one thing and outright painting the speaker as a liar was another.

One could be friends with, even trust someone even with different opinions, varying on some, if not many views. But in Hikaru's perspective, it would be impossible for him to form a bond with someone who refused to simply tolerate. And he would hate to lose friendship just because of this, whether or not friendship with such a flaw was worth it in the first place.

And so he let out a sort of half smile, and then scowled at Yeongha. "Hmph. Arrogant ba-"

"Shindou Hikaru!" Sai chided, though he had a hint of a smile on his lips as well. "Thank you," he said to the two Korean teens, and though he did not elaborate further than that, it was understood.

Yeongha turned away, but Sai and Suyon caught the slightest hint of red in his cheeks. "Let's go, Suyon," he muttered gruffly.

Suyon simply nodded, turning to face Hikaru and Sai. "Thank you for your hospitality. We're sorry about barging in like this."

It was then that Hikaru realized they were still standing in the hallway. "Oops," he murmured, knowing that Akira would have probably had a fit if he realized that Hikaru had left guests, however unexpected, standing in the hallway. Akira was big on politeness, something that Hikaru believed was probably an inherited trait.

Suyon noticed the older boy's sheepish look, and he waved it off. "It is our fault for showing up at this time uninvited. Thank you for receiving us. Take care, Shindou-san. You too, Fujiwara-san."

Before either Hikaru or Sai could reciprocate his comments, Yeongha started pulling at Suyon's hand insistently. "Hurry it up with the sentimentalities. Our plane leaves in less than four hours."

Suyon was left speechless. "W-What? Yeongha! I thought our flight was booked for tomorrow! The airport is two and a half hours away, with no traffic! And I haven't packed at all, and we still have to go through security, and…" He was tugged away, looking about twenty times more frazzled than before by Yeongha, who left with a soft, "Hn."

Hikaru waited until they were gone – Akira would be proud of his efforts – before he burst out into laughter. Sai smiled himself, and Hikaru sighed happily. "That sure was an eventful conversation." Sai didn't comment on the fact that Hikaru looked like a huge weight had been taken off his shoulders. He silently thanked the duo again. Their words might be simple, but it definitely looked like it had helped.

Part of Sai was joyous, but a part of him was worried as well. He understood Hikaru's relief, but the recent incident seemed to affect his emotional state a great deal. Sai didn't know if that was normal or healthy. Perhaps Akira's worries were not completely unfounded. Before he had time to continue pondering his thoughts, Hikaru was speaking again. "Neh, Sai?"

"Hm?"

"Could we play a few games of go?"

Sai smiled fondly at Hikaru, distracted. "Of course."

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

"_Hikaru, what's wrong?" Sai murmured the question sleepily, shifting in the warm futon blankets. It was two after midnight, and the room was dark and quiet. At least, it was until Sai had woken up to the apparent movement of the teen sleeping on the other side of the newly bought screen that Hikaru had purchased the day before. The long haired man heard another sound of someone – Hikaru, of course – moving under the blankets, but no response to his inquiry._

"_Hikaru?" he asked again, concern starting to show through in his voice. When he once again received no response, he felt a heavy weight settle badly into his stomach. Sai stumbled up, and gently pushed the blankets off of him. He shivered a bit as the colder air hit his skin, but he quickly got up and out of his warm nest._

"_H-Hikaru?" Sai's voice was starting to escalate in volume, but he still got no reply in response. Crossing the room in wide strides and making it over to the side of the room that Hikaru was on, he quickly noted that Hikaru was still moving restlessly in his blankets, although no sound was coming out of his mouth except for short gasps that really worried Sai._

"_Hikaru! Wake up! Is something hurting? What's wrong?" Sai shot off this in succession, before it seemed to dawn on him that Hikaru wasn't going to respond anytime soon. Sai frantically pulled Hikaru's blankets down lower, and his heart raced when he noticed that Hikaru's skin was hot and flushed with fever. He seemed to be delirious to the surroundings around him, and Sai's soft hand resting on his arm. The teen was sweating profusely, and it was then that Sai noticed that Hikaru's blankets felt wet to the touch._

_Something in Sai's normally calm and tranquil demeanor seemed to snap when he saw the sight of Hikaru so ill. It seemed that he had deteriorated rapidly in condition during the night, for he still seemed perfectly fine when the lights were turned off for bed around ten thirty. And all Sai could see in his mind was his last sight of Torajiro, ill and weak, before the cholera took him._

_He panicked. Sai shot up, racing towards the phone. Once there though, it looked like he wasn't sure what to do. Electrical appliances were not something he was familiar with; there were many buttons, and he had never learnt what to do with them. Now Sai regretted it deeply, but he only had a vague idea what to do has he dialed pushed in the numbers that was written down on the pad of paper on the counter next to the phone, hoping and pleading to no one and everyone that Hikaru would be fine…_

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

Akira jolted up again, heart racing and breath coming in short gasps. Placing a hand over his chest, it took several deep breaths before he managed to calm down. It had seemed so real…the last one involving Hikaru and the go god had seemed so realistic as well. In fact, Akira was mostly sure that it was completely real, and it made his heart race when he thought of Hikaru, lying there so pained in the futon, even if it was a dream.

At least, he hoped dearly that it was a dream.

Pushing the bed covers off of him, Akira surveyed the milieu and was satisfied to note that he was exactly where he had drifted off to sleep last night: a hotel room two hours or so away from the apartment he shared with Hikaru and Sai-san. Home, really. It was twelve forty-five, glaring neon red numbers informed him; the time between his dream and reality was off by more than an hour.

He gently got off of the bed, slipping on the standard pair of hotel slippers before walking to the bathroom, and splashing some water on his face. Wiping it off with a towel, he sighed. Akira wanted to race home immediately on the closest train, but he had an obligation as a go pro to stay at the event until it was over unless it was an emergency.

Even if he was worried, telling the association that he had a dream that something bad was going to happen back home would not be sufficient. Besides, the likelihood of such an event happening in an hour and fifteen minutes was ridiculous. Reality just didn't happen like that…right?

Still, Akira sighed as he lay back into the bed, feeling discontent. Something felt wrong, and the fact that he didn't know what it was made him nervous.

He sat back up and picked up his cell phone, wanting to at least call home and see if things were all right. Better safe than sorry, and even if Hikaru was perfectly fine and only disturbed by his call, the alternative was frightening enough that Akira felt waking Hikaru up would be worth it, however bad he would feel if nothing was wrong.

Akira frowned when he realized that he had no reception in the hotel. It was bad timing, to say in the least.

When Touya Akira fell into a restless sleep that night, he had no idea that his cell phone, lying so innocently on his bedside table within arm's reach away, would not be getting reception for a long time. And there was no way that he would know until much later that Fujiwara no Sai had managed to use the phone by himself for the first time that night, fueled by sheer desperation and horror.

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

**Hah. Hahah. Ha. Has it really been . . . more than a year? *ducks* **

**I hope everyone's doing well. The last year has been an emotional rollercoaster for me, and it doesn't feel like anything's settled at all. Still, I finally strengthened my resolve to sit down and write; I hope I did okay. Things are nowhere near smooth right now, and life is being troublesome, but I'll try and write and update as much as possible.**

**I was clearing out my flooded inbox today when I noticed an abundance of reviews. I've read and answered them all, and they made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside – I remembered how much I loved getting opinions, and most of all, writing. They really inspired me, and I'll keep fighting to get chapters out!**

**As always, thank you all for reading. Please do leave a comment; I appreciate them all, and enjoying reading and replying to all of them. **


	12. Chapter 12

_Pa-chi. Pa-chi. Paa-chi._

The sound of go stones being placed with smooth, precise movements rang throughout the room that Touya Akira was playing in. Since this was a public event of sorts, there was an audience of spectators watching them from a few paces away. His opponent was another pro, one that he had never played before, though he had heard of him once or twice.

_Pa-chi_.

Akira shifted a bit in his seat. It was uncharacteristic of him to be distracted during a game, even if this was just a more 'casual' one. He always took all of his games seriously, whether it was a title game or a teaching one or just one with Hikaru when they had some time on that odd Saturday.

But last night's dream unnerved him more than Akira would admit. The timing was off, and the idea that his dream was actually a vision predicting the future was unbelievable. Still, Akira was unable to just brush off the incident for some reason. It kept replaying in his mind, the sight of Hikaru looking ill and feverish, and all he wanted to do was drop everything and head back on the next train. The cold stone that seemed to settle uneasily into his stomach was not exactly helping either.

_Pa-chi_.

Akira shook himself out of his thoughts at his opponent's next move, and he regarded the board with a careful eye before he placed another black stone onto it, furthering the array of patterns that was steadily making its way onto the grid. He was quite out of it, Akira had to admit. But there was just something that just seemed off, however he thought about it.

Watching as his opponent put down his own white stone, Akira decided that he would leave as soon as he finished the game. The constant occasions of the event had meant Akira had been unable to even call Hikaru. As it was, he was unable to concentrate anyways. He would excuse himself from the next occasion, a conference or interview of sorts with a go newspaper. Then, he would find signal for his cell phone or borrow a landline and call Hikaru.

Someone entered the room from the doors in the back, behind the group of people that were watching the game intently – Akira was ashamed to admit that they were probably paying more attention to the game than he was. He paused, and took several deep breaths. It wouldn't do for him to lose more concentration; as it was, his playing level was already dipping. He would finish the game well and call Hikaru.

_Pa-chi. _

"Touya-sensei?" a voice called out a few feet from him, at the edge of the crowd.

Akira glanced up, incredibly surprised at whoever it was that had voiced his name. After all, it was almost taboo to interrupt a go game, especially one when the players needed all the skill and attention they had. Especially since most of the crowd would have been made of go enthusiasts or amateurs – people who knew that disturbing a game would be frowned heavily upon.

It was a man that he didn't know, though he looked vaguely familiar. It took Akira several moments to recall that he was the receptionist at the event – the one that did sign-ins by the players, answered the phone calls, and dealt with the visitors.

The grim look on his face made Akira's heart thump loudly in his chest.

"Touya-sensei, if you would please step out with me," the man said.

The audience looked on in worry. No one ever interrupted a go game like this unless there was something really dire or important that had to be dealt with. And since Akira couldn't think of anything important that he might have forgotten … he swallowed heavily.

"Please excuse me," he murmured softly to the opponent sitting across from him, who merely nodded. He did not look exactly 'happy' per se, but rather understanding.

The receptionist nodded at Akira, and walked out of the room in long strides. Akira followed him silently, hands sweaty and breathing coming a bit faster, sharper. It was probably nothing. More likely than not there might have been a problem with travel arrangements or something. After all, he was scheduled to leave tomorrow morning…

And then Akira realized how horribly optimistic he was being. They would never interrupt a game for something like that, something that wasn't urgent and could be handled when the game was over in an hour or two. Before Akira could continue to ponder on this issue, they had reached the back of the room. The crowd had parted to the sides, and the door was within reach.

The receptionist held the door open for Akira, and he managed to gather enough of himself that he murmured a soft thank you in response. The receptionist nodded, and stepped out after Akira. He was led a little ways away from the doorway, down the hallway and into a room with a table and a small television placed on the end of it. A viewing room then.

"Touya-sensei, an urgent phone call came for you minutes before."

No.

"I do not know how to put this, but I believe that given the matter it is regarding, it would be best to be blunt and give you time to make your arrangements."

No.

"We have just received a call from the hospital near your home. Apparently someone has you on their emergency contact list, and they have just been checked into one of the hospital's wards. One…Hikaru, I believe. We received no surname, and no details further than a comment from one 'Sai' for you to please come quickly."

_No._

"Would you like us to book the quickest train back – "

"Yes. Please." Akira's voice did not tremble, something he mentally found miraculous given the breakdown he seemed to be going through. "I will head to the station right away. If you would be so kind as to send my one bag to the Tokyo Go Association…"

The receptionist merely nodded. "Of course. I have taken the liberty of checking the train schedule back to Tokyo, and the closest one will depart in twenty minutes."

'The station is fifteen minutes away,' Akira thought numbly. 'I have to go. Now.' He nodded at the receptionist in thanks. "I have to go," Akira iterated without feeling. "Thank you for informing me."

If the man found anything odd with Akira's demeanor, he did not mention anything. In fact, he said nothing as Akira dashed out of the room. It was the first time anyone had seen the teenaged go pro looking so frazzled – from what the man knew as a go receptionist that listened to and watched go games and discussions, Touya-sensei was usually a rational and calm young man.

This was unlike him, and the man sighed as he pondered the possibilities of what might have happened. He walked slowly back to his desk. He would have to file something for the higher-ups about this turn of events as to not affect Touya-sensei's go career records, and put in the form for a transfer of bags from here to the Tokyo Association. Sighing again, the man wished Touya Akira luck in whatever he had been called so urgently away to do. The fact that Touya-sensei had rushed away without even taking the time to retrieve his bags was a telling one.

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

The train was slowly inching its way past the surroundings. Instead of the blur that the transport usually seemed to take, every single second was being dragged out. Akira could feel all of them, the moments of time that were just slowly ticking by.

It was driving him insane. The ride here had only taken a few hours. The ride back seemed like days had passed already. Akira had no idea what was wrong with Hikaru, and the fact that this had happened after that horrible dream the night before was worrying.

He frowned, staring at his hands that were held in his lap. 'It might have been a premonition…,' Akira shuddered. 'Please don't let that have actually happened. Please.'

Akira believed that the worst part about this all was the waiting. The time that went by as he waited for when they stopped at his station: when he would quickly rush out of the door and towards the hospital as quickly as he could, devoid of any luggage. He had _no idea_ what was happening, beyond that he got an urgent call from the _hospital_ about Hikaru. The semi-blond could by dying – 'Dead,' his mind whispered – at this very moment, and yet Akira was sitting here, completely helpless.

To make it all the worse, he had left his cell phone back in the jacket Akira had left on the chair of the playing room – it was warm inside. And the cell phone was turned off, because of the go game, which was probably why he did not get the call sooner. Akira berated himself mentally. He had been careless. He _knew_ that Hikaru was ill – why hadn't he been more careful?

For that matter, why did he leave Hikaru alone? Sai meant well, but he did not know how to work many of the modern appliances and tools that would make things a lot easier. He did not know how to find help in the event of an emergency, did not know where to start even. Sai did not even know how to use the telephone, let alone call 119!

Akira groaned, burying his face in his hands. It was times like this that he was reminded that he was fifteen years old, young and inexperienced. Forgetting about or avoiding such important things was unforgiveable, in Akira's eyes.

It had been one go event. One event, too far away from Hikaru for his liking. One event, of which Hikaru had insisted he go to. One event, which might have irrevocable consequences that would affect the rest of Akira's life.

The teen sighed. He wanted to get home already! He needed to … needed to see Hikaru again. He did not know if he was blowing things out of proportion. He did not know if Hikaru had just contracted a bit of a cold and an infection that caused his fever. He did not know if it was Hikaru's disease flaring up that placed him in such a state.

There were so many things that Touya Akira simply _did not know_. Akira wanted to scream. It took everything he had to not do so.

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

Shindou Hikaru moaned softly as his eyes fluttered open, revealing orbs that were light in color. He blinked his eyes, which were heavy with sleep. His limbs also felt weighed down, and he found it difficult to move them, as if they were laden with lead. That was odd.

It was also incredibly peculiar that he found himself on a bed, and not on his typical futon. Ignoring the lingering pain in his body he gave an attempt to sit up when he was pushed back into the bed by a glaring Touya Akira.

"Hm. Déjà vu," Hikaru muttered.

"_You_," Akira hissed, "are an idiot."

Hikaru winced. Akira was _mad_. Fire-spitting mad, completely consumed mad, not just the usual annoyed looking mad that Hikaru managed to evoke from him almost every single day since the time they first met in the (ex-)Meijin's go salon. And not the "Hikaru, why would you do this?" look Akira put on every time that Hikaru did something stupid, but not life endangering – something he had done and did quite often, really.

But Hikaru had never, in all of the time that he knew Touya Akira, seen him that completely livid. Even when he almost burned down the paper screen in the Touyas' living room that _one_ time…

"Heh. Err…hi?" The glare didn't relent at all, and Hikaru sighed. "I'm sorry?"

He really had no idea why he was in what appeared to be in the hospital in the first place. For he had figured out that he was definitely lying in a hospital bed. Again. But he did not really feel that ill, besides the lethargy that seemed to make itself part of his life. Sure, his head was a bit more fuzzy than normal, and Hikaru felt a bit like falling over and just sleeping for forever and ever, or at least for a few decades … but it really was not that bad.

"For?" Akira spat out sharply.

"Worrying you?" Hikaru offered.

"Why should that be a question?"

Sighing, Hikaru looked past Akira's glaring eyes to look at his surroundings. Sai was sitting on one of the uncomfortable looking plastic chairs. It appeared that he had nodded off sometime before, for his posture was slack. Yet the long-haired man looked stressed, more so than Hikaru had ever seen him before. There was a crease in his brow, and his lips were pulled into a sort of tight frown. His hands clung to each other, and the way Sai held himself in general looked tense.

Speaking of that, Akira himself looked peaky. Nothing beyond "I've pulled an all-nighter and I'm so tired," kind of an ill, but Hikaru was worried anyways.

"You should go to sleep," Hikaru commented softly.

The fire in Akira's eyes dulled down a bit, or softened rather, but his mouth was still pressed into a firm line. "You idiot. You imbecilic, asinine, completely unaware – "

"Akira."

"– of your health and the – "

"Akira."

"– worry of those poor – "

"Akira!"

"What?" Akira shouted, started to look red in the face, just as Sai started awake from his uncomfortable looking position in his chair. Sai jerked a bit, looking startled and a bit dazed before, but he quickly stood up and made his way over to Hikaru's bedside.

Hikaru felt silly, lying on his back like that and staring up at the irate Akira and the worried looking Sai. "I won't even comment on the silliness you allowed," Sai stared sternly into Hikaru's eyes. Hikaru felt like a small child again, being scolded by his elders. It was odd that this was coming from Sai, who was normally like a big overgrown puppy, but Hikaru was unsure of what to say at the moment.

"And I'm sure that Akira will give you enough of a scolding to last the both of us," Sai continued. Hikaru nodded to himself, a small bobbing of his head. From the looks of the Touya, he would give Hikaru the worried, angry rant of a lifetime. "But we were worried, Hikaru. I don't know what's going on, but I _am_ prepared to find out if you don't tell me." Sai's voice was completely serious, something that Hikaru found incredibly unusual to hear. "For now, concentrate all your energy on becoming better," Sai encouraged. "But when all this is finished and done, I want an explanation."

Sai knew that he was coming off as almost uncharacteristically cold but in his perspective, this was what had to be done. After this close wakeup call, he refused to delay the inevitable confrontation anymore. His original excuse, to both Hikaru (albeit nonverbally) and himself was that it would cause Hikaru more stress on top of all that had been going on with the Korean duo and Waya and Isumi. But it was after this horrible, terrifying event that Sai figured out that he had to cause more stress in order to alleviate some of Hikaru's burden – to help in some manner. He could not help if he had no idea what was going on, and his position at the moment was quite unfavorable. Sai gave off a mental sigh, and whispered, "Rest well, Hikaru," before exiting the room quietly. From the tense atmosphere that remained, he could tell that Akira was seconds from erupting into flames if he did not get to speak with Hikaru. Or reprimand him, rather.

Hikaru winced at the thought of having to 'come clean' with Sai. Sure, it was likely that he would probably try to lie his way out of it, however guilty it would have made him feel, but…Hikaru didn't want to lie to him. The semi-blond did not want to deal with the consequences that the truth would bring, but Sai … Sai wasn't someone that he could lie to without feeling incredibly guilty and horrible inside.

But Hikaru couldn't let Sai know the whole story. Even if Sai was worried, there was nothing more that he could do at this point. Hikaru knew that perfectly well; the god of go had said so much in smaller words: it was too late to go back. And telling Sai everything that had truly transpired – or at least how much Akira knew at the moment – would only bring Sai a lot of guilt, and not any relief. It would make their lives miserable, all three of them, and Hikaru resolved that he just wouldn't do that to Akira and Sai, even if he broke his own moral codes in the process.

Before Hikaru could continue to ponder about what to do, a nurse broke their intense atmosphere by walking in. She let out a small gasp of surprise, and then hurried over to Hikaru's side. "Touya-san," she chided, "you were supposed to notify us if Shindou-san woke up."

Akira looked a bit sheepish, but he made no comment as she began standard procedures on Hikaru. Hikaru endured them with a sigh, but he decided that he had enough of not knowing what exactly was going on.

"So…why am I here again?"

As the nurse cast him a disapproving look, Hikaru sighed again. "Well? I just woke up a few minutes ago, and all I really know is that Akira is really, really mad."

"Touya-san has good reason to be mad," the nurse replied stiffly.

By now Hikaru was quite confused. The last thing he remembered was going to sleep with Sai after a few great games of go. The rest was truly a blank. "What do you mean?"

"Shindou-san, have you been on any medications?" The nurse's tone made it quite clear that she knew very well what medication Hikaru had been on, down to the name of it and its uses and side effects.

Hikaru winced, and looked slightly guilty as he glanced over at Akira.

"Go on," Akira deadpanned. And his body language told Hikaru that he was screwed either way. If he lied, Hikaru wasn't the only one that could read the nurse's obvious tone – he would be chewed out for lying to Akira. If he told the truth, then he would be ranted at for not having told Akira in the first place – in fact, for clearly trying to keep it under wraps as much as he possibly could.

"Err…well, it's a painkiller," Hikaru mumbled under his breath, averting his eyes from Akira's sharp gaze. "I don't remember the name, exactly."

"Then you do you at least know the ways of use, as well as the side effects that you should take precautions against, for those that you can?"

Hikaru blinked. "Don't I just take a pill when I'm feeling … off?"

Oh. The lividness was back in Akira's sharp eyes. Well.

"No, Shindou-san." The nurse's voice was steady, but she seemed to be irked as well. "It is true that you take the pills when you feel pain – hence the name painkillers. There is a limit to them, however. You should stay within that limit, or you will risk overdose. And from the scans, the amount of the drug in your system exceeds the recommended amount. This may be your first prescription, but the fact that you went through the bottle so quickly is disconcerting. It's no wonder that you've been placed in the hospital."

By now Akira was turning both red and pale. Hikaru thought that it wasn't a very complimentary color on him.

"As for the side effects, the one to be most concerned about is its effect on your immune system. It is not great enough that discontinuing the drug in your case is recommended, but enough that you are supposed to take better care of your health that one normally would need to do. For example, a vitamin and nutrient rich diet, and bundling up when it gets colder. It's basically just the fundamentals of a healthy lifestyle, though you have to take extra care. If you want someone's words to back mine up, feel free to talk to the doctor. He should have told you the same thing, and given you a prescription slip. In fact, those directions should also be pasted on the label of the pill bottle."

"And he did not?" Akira looked at Hikaru, face stony cold.

"Well…he was saying something like that, I believe. Or, maybe. I was kind of thinking of something else," Hikaru admitted, a pink tint coloring his cheeks.

Akira growled. _Growled_. "What about the pill bottle label?"

"I dropped it in some water as I was taking some pills and it smeared," Hikaru murmured, averting his gaze from Akira's vividly burning one.

"I see." The woman turned to Akira. "I can give you a pamphlet on how to take care of this if you should like. His case is unusual and troubling, especially since it's so odd and he's refusing observation, but general help manuals should aid you."

"That would be greatly appreciated," Akira bit out. "Any other information pamphlets that you can provide me would also be helpful."

"Of course." She signed her name on the clipboard that she had been recording data on with a flourish, and placed it back onto the footboard of the bed Hikaru was currently lying on. "Good day." She walked out of the room with a polite nod, and left Hikaru to his doom with a smile.

"Shindou Hikaru…"

"I know, I know. I'm an 'imbecilic, asinine, completely unaware' idiot that should have told you about everything when you asked. Medication is an important thing to not have told you about, especially when you clearly asked. I should not have kept this from you. I should not have been hiding medicine under my clothes in the drawer," Hikaru recited, with a hint of guilt clearly present in his eyes.

"And are you just saying this, or do you really mean it?" Akira's voice was cool.

"I do," Hikaru said quietly, completely sincere.

Akira nodded, accepting it. Most did not see the more serious side of Hikaru – even those closest to his heart seemed to see that utter sincerity only rarely, for Akira could count on his hands how many times Hikaru was truly apologetic, or completely free of joking.

"Wait," Akira murmured. Speaking louder, he said, "That nurse never did tell you what caused you to get hospitalized in the first place."

Hikaru grinned, breaking his serious mien. "Maybe she got too mad at me. I'm sure it's something along the lines of not eating well or sleeping enough or playing too much go or something like that. It always is."

"And the fact that you say that so matter-of-factly worries me," Akira sighed, looking up at the ceiling. He rubbed gently at one of his eyes. When he finally got to the hospital after that train ride of terror, the teen was so relieved that Hikaru was 'fine' that he was at a loss of words. That was the first thing that the doctors had assured him of. It was a case of influenza, run badly because of other reasons. He had been far too happy at the news that Hikaru was not dying or dead that he had forgotten to ask about the details.

And while the medication – that he didn't know of before, and would now be keeping a close eye on or at least making sure that Hikaru knew how to do so – may have played a part in it, Akira decided that enough was enough. It did not matter if Hikaru's disease was some crazy attempt to kill him from the go god; Akira wanted to find out the real aspects of it, not just the ones Hikaru deigned mild enough to come clear to him about.

He would find out what was happening. And since it appeared that Sai-san wanted to talk about this as well, the trio would be having a good talk as soon as Hikaru's bout of the flu tided over. 'Of course,' Akira thought, 'it is important that Hikaru heals and rests well first. But after that…I think it is high time that I figure out what is really going on with Shindou Hikaru, and what Sai and the god of go have to do with it. I don't want to treat Hikaru like a child, because he's not, not really. And I refuse to treat this like an abstract concept anymore.'

Akira gritted his teeth determinedly. 'If this is our reality, we'll – I'll – have to deal with it. Even if Hikaru won't treat this seriously, I will. It's time that we all stopped averting the issue and joking around with it. Just you wait. I'm not going to let Hikaru go without a hell of a fight.'

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

It turned out that Hikaru was not a docile patient, even in the sickbed. Then again, neither Akira nor Sai expected him to be – he was irksome enough when he had a mere cold; now that the doctors had instructed him to stay still and in the hospital for monitoring should anything take a turn for the worse because of the severity of the state he was in at admittance, Akira was not shocked when Hikaru seemed unable to just lie down and rest. Annoyed and frustrated yes, but not surprised.

"Hikaru!" Akira chided, giving a soft sigh. "Would you just stop moving for one second?"

This was only the second day of Hikaru's hospitalization – for the doctor had decided that Hikaru should stay for a few days, given his circumstances – and Akira was just about ready to start throwing things. He had gone home on Hikaru's insistence to change and clean himself up, but had fallen asleep doing so, the stress of the day and his late night vigil with Hikaru having worn him out. When he got back to the hospital with take-out food and an overnight bag for Hikaru, the knowledge that the shorter teen had tried to escape numerous times and was now _tied to the bed_ was … troublesome.

Part of Akira wondered if that was against regulations, to tie patients to their hospital beds when they were not harming anyone or themselves. But when one of the doctors told him that it was only until Akira got back to "look over his friend" because Hikaru had attempted to escape and nearly toppled over an old lady because he had bowled into her while being unsteady on his feet…well. Akira didn't know how to contest that. He had requested that the restraints removed when he appeared, promising that he would keep Hikaru from injuring himself and the other patients.

"No!" Hikaru pouted petulantly, despite his light-colored eyes being glazed over slightly with the fever medication that he was on. "I don't want to…" He blinked woozily, and Akira sighed, guessing that the current medicine probably had the side effect of sleepiness. "I want to play go; I want to go home~."

'Perhaps this medication is not working very well,' Akira thought. 'Whatever he was on before at least had him lucid.'

"Akira~!" Hikaru reached blearily for his friend, swooning in his bed. "Akiiiiiiraaa~."

Yes. Definitely. Preferably before Sai arrived, for he did not know how the long-haired man would deal with this sobriety-lacking Hikaru.

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

Hikaru gave a soft sigh, tossing the bag that Akira had brought to the hospital this morning down on his futon. He had finally been – bugged the doctors until – discharged. But just thinking of being back at home, while making him incredibly happy, was also a source of worry for him. After Sai's comments about the truth being revealed after his discharge, Hikaru didn't know what to do.

Telling him the truth was out of the question. Yet Akira wanted things clarified as well, and it was as likely as not that they would all be having this conversation together. Hikaru knew that Akira strongly disapproved of keeping this issue from Sai. And though Hikaru knew that the older teen would not purposefully leak his secret to Sai against his will, he really did not want to talk about this in general.

He did not understand what was so important about laying out all of the facts. Yes, Hikaru knew that Sai had been incredibly worried the night that he was found wracked with chills and fever. Especially since this era was still mildly unfamiliar with Sai – partly because he spent the two years haunting Hikaru concentrating on go, and partly because being a floating ghost did not exactly expose one well to society. Sai's new pro status was still relatively unheard of by the more 'seasoned' pros, beyond his interesting win record and relation to Shindou Hikaru.

But really. The whole issue troubled Hikaru. He really did not know what to do about the conversation with Sai and Akira. Everything seemed to catch up to him now – the deal had seemed like a good idea then, and still seemed so now. He would never regret doing what he did.

But now that Akira knew of it, and if not of the symptoms then of the end result and Sai was suspicious of something going on, Hikaru just did not know how to explain it. How could he convey in words that sheer desperation that had overtaken him after Sai's 'death'? How everything had seemed to fade away in a painful blur. How the days passed by without feeling, and go really did not seem interesting anymore, not in the way that it used to be, every go stone lighting up the universe that was the board.

Hikaru was, for the lack of better word choice, at the end of his wits. The teen was a relatively simple and straightforward person. He liked go. He enjoyed Sai's companionship. Akira was his best friend and he was completely dependent on the taller teen sometimes. He missed his old friends and family, but things were too complicated to involve them.

He could not, did not want to deal with all the intricacies of an explanation. He did not want to relive and explain the grief and panic that had stricken him before. He did not want to use words that would make no sense in the context of the story that he did not want to tell.

And he did not want to see grief or pain in the eyes of those he cared for.

Things were a done deal, over and simple. Like him. Hikaru did not think that he was very smart. School used to be such a pain for him…back then, just being able to play go was enough.

He did not _want_ to explain.

But there was a part of him that knew that he would have to, no matter what he wanted. For Akira and Sai, though perhaps not very 'bonded' with each other, made up Hikaru's family. His mother was alive, and so his father. They loved him, probably still did – but he didn't know how to explain himself now. And it all came back to that. Go had changed him into a son that his parents did not understand anymore, Hikaru was sure of that. His mother had not been against it, had not even protested when Hikaru wanted to become a go pro all those years before, but she did not understand why he _craved_ that game. His father was distant – a businessman often away from home, or at least not fully there.

But Akira and Sai…they understood his love for go, even before the god of go god involved. They knew why he loved the game, and shared the passion that had emerged with Sai. He loved them.

Hikaru supposed that if he could, and if it was Akira disappearing, he would have done the same. He knew that even the god of go disapproved of his choice, of his trade, even if it was he that technically 'allowed' it. Though, thinking back now, he knew that he hadn't exactly given the god much of a choice, with the way he had approached things then.

Hikaru sighed again, running a hand through his hair. He did not want to think of this. It was really simple, actually. He loved Sai. He wanted Sai back. He got Sai back.

He did not want to have to deal with the talks that came afterwards because of Akira's and Sai's newfound knowledge. He did not want to deal with this matter seriously. It would have been easy to fade out of view. To just…leave.

It was selfish of him, Hikaru knew that too. To want…to want, always want. But when he knew that everything had worked out, Hikaru had not wanted to deal with the aftermath. He was selfish, a child, really. But…he had hoped that loving Sai and needing him there could resolve everything, not that long ago.

Now he knew that things were different. He was only fifteen, not even of legal age yet. But…"It's time to grow up, Shindou Hikaru."

He got up. Hikaru knew what he had to do.

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

**The plot is slowly but steadily moving along, and the dreamlike, humorous state of before is slowly deepening into frazzled reality. The true reality becomes mixed and confusing as the puzzle develops. **

**So, my medical facts are likely way wrong. I've taken certain creative liberties with such things, so please take it all as fiction and not true facts that you can depend on. In fact, the 'disease' that Hikaru has is not a real one – at least, not that I know of. It really does have a hint of the supernatural in it, so please don't take it as a truly straightforward matter.**

**As always, thanks for reading and for all the lovely reviews. Please drop a few comments for me. **

**EDIT (7/30/12): I've edited around five lines or so with the scene with the nurse due to a review from **MadaMag** that clarified some of the medical aspects for me regarding painkillers. Thanks for the help! You can go back and read that part if you read this chapter in the last 24 hours or so, but it's not crucial to understanding the rest of the story. **


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